Friendship Beyond the Grave
by Millenium Pen
Summary: Joey Wheeler is mysteriously murdered one day. Now it's up to his best friend Yugi and his best friend's alter ego Yami to solve the crime. But Joey's not out of the picture just yet. NOT YAOI. (rating changed for later chapters) COMPLETE
1. Joey's Death

Millenium Pen: Hello there! I'm Millenium Pen. But you all can call me MP. This is my first fic. So if you don't think this story is any good at all, then go read another one! If you must critisize, please be nice ok? Anyway, this is a very friendship-centered fic. So yeah, lots of fluff. I hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters.(duh)

**Yami to Yugi**

_Yugi to Yami_

'thinking'

"Speaking"

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_CHAPTER 1_

Joey Wheeler was walking through the streets of Domino City. It was a peaceful, sunny day like any other. It had been the last day of school at Domino High, and Joey couldn't be happier. He managed to pass this year with the grade of a C average. In celebration of the gang's first day of summer vacation Joey and his friends, Yugi Mutou, Tristan Taylor, and Tea Gardener, were going to have a 'Friends Day Out' tomorrow. They would do things like go to the arcade, go see a movie or two, and eat burgers. Just normal things that friends do. It seemed like this was going to be the best time ever.

Joey continued to walk home when he suddenly felt something in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick, but he knew he wasn't sick at all. A feeling of fear rushed over him. He didn't know why. It was a simple day like any other. It was quiet and peaceful. There was nothing to fear. Right...?

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Yugi Mutou was walking down the streets of Domino City. He was very excited about the next day. He couldn't wait to have the 'Friends Day Out' that had been planned. This was going to be the best summer ever. Yugi smiled happily as he made his way home. He couldn't wait to spend all summer with his best friends. As he was walking, Yami spoke up.

**Did you have a good last day of school aibou? **Yami asked through their mind link.

_Yeah! And tomorrow'll be even better!_ Yugi answered.

**Why is that?**

_BecauseYou, Joey, Tea, Tristan and Iare gonna have a friends day out!_

**What's a 'friends day out?' **Yami asked confused.

_It's when a group of friends take a day off to hang around each other and have fun._ Yugi replied.

Yugi suddenly got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. All of a sudden, he stopped walking.

**What's wrong?** Yami asked concerned.

_It's nothing, I just have this weird feeling in my stomach. Like something bad is gonna happen._ Yugi answered. He didn't know what the feeling meant.

**Hmm...maybe you should get home. **Yami suggested.

_Good idea. It's probably just a stomach ache._ Yugi decided, and continued walking.

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Joey continued walking. He kept trying too shake off the feeling that still lingered with him. As he walked, he kept passing alleyways. Each time he passed one, the wave of fear rushed over him once more. A voice inside his head kept screaming to him, "don't look in the alley! don't look in the alley!" Joey tried to silence it by hitting his head with his fist. Or he would try to drown it out with thoughts. But no matter how hard he tried, the voice and feeling just would not go away. What were they trying to tell him?

He continued on and on. It seemed like he had been walking for hours, although it had only been minutes. He was sure that he was almost home. As he walked on, he could hear faint whispering coming from up ahead. He followed the voice to a dark alley. The whispering was louder and he could make out some words. He was tempted to look down the alley to see who was chatting. Wait, was this what that voice was yelling about? Joey wondered why he was told not to look into the alley. What awaited him if he did? Danger? Horror? Or was it all just a big over reaction? There was only one way to find out.

Joey walked over to the alley as quietly as he could. Slowly, he peered into the darkness. In the shadows, he could see three figures. They all were tall, dark, and had black robes on. They spoke in deep, husky voices. Joey kind of recognized them. Were they....Rare Hunters? But Marik was defeated, why would they still be around? Unless they were under the order of someone else. But who?

Joey listened more intently to the conversation. "So, what's the plan boss?" asked one of the figures. "Well, first we must lure the target to us, then we can take what we need." replied the other figure, which was obviously the leader. "But what are we gonna do with the guy after we take it?" the first figure questioned further. "Simple...we eliminate him on the spot." the leader answered. Joey could feel that wave of fear rush over him again. 'I can't believe dis! There gonna kill somebody! Dis can't be good, I should tell da cops'he thoughtsternly. Just as he was about to go tell the police, he heard them speak again. He looked back on the group and heard them talking once more. "So, who's the target boss?" asked the third figure. "Oh, just some kid." responded the leader smugly, "Some kid named..... Yugi Mutou....."

Joey's eyes went wide and a cold rushed swept over him. He stared blankly into space. Lost in his thoughts. 'Th-they wanna kill Yugi!?' Joey thought in fear.He felt he had to do something to stop them. 'Well there's no way I'm letting um kill my best buddy while I'm still alive!'he thought angrily.He wanted to run up to the cloaked guys and beat the living daylights out of them! He was about to, when he heard them continue talking. He was already this deep in the conversation, why not keep up? He listened as quietly as he could bare. Although right now, his anger was burning him to the point at which he might not be able to remain silent for much longer.

"So, once we get this kid outta the way, what do we do?" asked the first hooded guy. "You fool, we take the Millenium Puzzle!" the leader answered. Joey froze again. 'Da Millenium Puzzle!? Dat's what dis is all about!? Man! Everything is centered around dat thing!'he thought growing even angrier. "So how do we take it? Don't we need to challenge the pharaoh to a duel if we want to use its power?" asked the third guy. "We'll use my Millenium Cage." answered the boss, "With this, I can take capture the puzzle, and once locked within my cage, it's powers will be mine to control." 'Another Millenium Item!? I thought there were only seven of those!' Joey thought to himself. This was all so complicated. Yet all so informative. Joey couldn't take it. He had to tell Yugi of the dangers that were ahead. Buthe thought one more thing. If he was to save Yugi by listening to all this, then why did that voice in his head warn him _not_ to look into the alley? Why should he have avoided this, if by hearing this information, he could save Yugi's life? Joey got his answer.

A sharp pain pulsed through the back of Joey's head. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, nearly unconscious. What had happened? Why was he in such pain? He was answered by a mocking voice. "Well well Kutana, it seems your sneakiness will only work for so long." said a mysterious voice from behind him. He opened his eyes, trying to focus them, and saw four blurry figures. He had been hit hard on the head and was blacking out. He was unable to move, and could barely even see, but was still able to hear. He listened to the four figures. There was nothing more he could do.

"Tch, you almost let this kid get away with hearing your plan." said the figure that hit him. "Thank you Yutamu, your services are appreciated." Kutana (the boss) said to Yutamu (the guy who hit Joey from behind). "So Juro (figure 1), Nattero (figure 3) you two working with Kutana now?" questioned Yutamu. "Yes, we have quite a case this time." said Nattero. "Got that right. Good thing you got this kid before he could blab about it." complimented Juro. As the group talked on further, Joey thought to himself. 'Are they gonna kill me? Is this where it all ends? But, wait...Yugi! I gotta tell him!'

'I can't let them kill Yugi!' Thoughts raced through his head. The fire of rage that was burning within him was now uncontrollable. He just wanted to jump up and kill those four for even trying to hurt his friend. But he was unable to move. All he ended up doing was twitching. Which was bad in his case.

Joey had made the mistake of letting the four know he was still alive. If he had remained motionless, he might have had a chance. But Joey never gave up. No matter if it was the best thing to do, or the worst, he never gave up at anything. "Hmm, guess he's still alive. Better take care of that..." said Yutamu. Joey heard the click of a gun. A loud bang. He felt pain shoot right through his back. He felt his blood pool out of him. His hearing was cut off. And he couldn't speak. He couldn't even breathe. Before he closed his eyes, he saw something. Kutana's face unblurred for a second, and Joey could make out every detail. The man had short, chin-length hair. It stuck out on both sides in spikes and was colored a light green. His eyes were a cold gray. They seemed to have no emotion at all. Joey would recognize that face any day if he had the chance. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he wouldn't be around to get that opportunity. As Joey faded deeper and deeper into the shadows, He had one last thought. 'Yugi...please....stay safe...Yugi..' With that, Joey slipped away into darkness.

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Yugi woke up the next morning. It was sunny and cheerful. And like the weather, so was he. Because today was the day he had been looking forward to since yesterday. Today was going to be the Friends Day Out. Yugi hopped out of bed and got dressed.

**Good morning light**Yami greeted.

_Morning' Yami!_ Yugi answered.

**Ready for today?**

_You bet! I can't wait! I'm gonna call the others to see where we meet_

Suddenly, the phone rang. Yugi walked over and picked it up. "Hello?" He greeted.

"Hello, is this a mister....Yugi Mutou?" asked an unfamiliar female voice.

"Yes, why?" Yugi asked confused.

"Mr. Mutou, do you know a mister Joseph Wheeler?" asked the voice.

"Yeah, he's my best friend"

"Hmm, in a way I'm sorry to hear that....Mr. Mutou, I have some bad news..." the voice said in a gloomy tone.

Yami sat on Yugi's bed. He looked around the room out of boredom. He always seemed calm and collected, but today something was nagging at him. Something he just couldn't put his finger on. He knew it was something, but what?

Suddenly, there was a loud _clank_ heard. Yam snapped his head to where the sound came from. Yugi had dropped the phone. His face was pale with fear and his eyes were full of shock and sadness. **Aibou! What's wrong!? **Yami asked in a concerned tone.

Yugi dropped to his knees and then was down on all fours. Tears were falling freely to the floor. He was quivering. Sobs could be heard. Yugi was having a complete emotional breakdown. But what could have caused it?The former pharohrushed quickly to hislighter half'sside.

**What's the matter? What's wrong?** Yami asked trying to calm him down.

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Yami got his answer. However, it wasn't an answer he wanted to hear. With as much strength and control as he could muster, Yugi finally spoke.

_It's Joey....he's...he's...dead..._

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MP: Okay. There's chapter one. And to all you Joey fans out there, I must say: Please don't kill me! Iam a huge Joey fan myself. But I promise you all an interesting and Joey-filledending. So, if you wanna see Joey kick the bad guys butts in the end, do not shoot me, ok? Thank you

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**Preview for Chapter ****2**

Joey stared blankly for a moment. "You're my what....?" he questioned not believing what was happening. "You're Gaurdian Angel! But you can call me Sumi!" the girl said smiling. Joey snapped out of his confusion. "Well, great job ya did Ms. Gaurdian! I got shot in the back!" he shouted enraged. Sumi stopped smiling. "Well uh....I'm not an 'official' gaurdian yet...." she said rubbing the back of her head. Joey sweatdropped. "Well, I see why ya haven't earned yer halo yet." he said in an annoyed tone. "Actually, that's a common misconseption." Sumi corrected. "Whatever! Could you just please tell me where da heck I am!?" Joey shouted.

"Well, it's a bit confusing really. You see, you're dead...but not really dead..." Sumi said looking a little confused herself. Joey just gave her a blank stare. "Okay, you died....but you're not officially dead yet...you're...sortta...." Sumi stressed to find the right words. "Are you getting any of this?" she asked. Joey shook his head. Sumi thought for a while how to explain this. "Okay, you died...." Sumi started. "Now you are hovering between the Living World and the After Life...understand?" she asked. "I think so..." Joey replied. "Good," Sumi sighed, "cause' I was starting to get a head ache." Joey just groaned at his pathetic excuse for a guardian.


	2. Meet the Angels

MP: Okay, here's the next chapter. It has some parts in it that are important to the story. This explains a bit of the dead/not dead thing. But I warn you, it's still quite confusing. Anyway, here's chapter two.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters.

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_CHAPTER 2_

Joey opened his eyes. All he could see was darkness. What happened? Where was he? What was going on? Questions poured through his head. Slowly but suddenly, Joey started to remember what had transpired. He remembered looking in the alley, the cloaked men, the secret plans, being hit on the head, the gunshot, and how the last thing he could think of was Yugi. A sudden realization jolted through him. "Yugi!" he shouted. "Yugi, is he ok!?" Joey asked himself. He was in a seriously bad standing situation. His best friend was the target of some creeps in hoods, and he was Ra knows where!

Suddenly, a bright light began to shine. Joey shielded his eyes. "What da heck is that?" he said. The bright light faded to a dim glow and a tall figure stood before him. It was a woman. She had long brown hair, big brown eyes, and wore a white dress. But one thing was weird. She had two large feathery wings. "Hello Joey." she greeted warmly. "What da!? You are you? How do you know my name?" Joey questioned. The girl answered him half-laughing. "Why, I'm your guardian angel silly!"

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Yugi sat on his bed. It had been six whole hours since the news about Joey had been received. He had told Tristan, Tea, and regretfully, Serenity. Yugi sat with no one with him but Yami in holographic form. He was trying desperately to hold back his sadness, but found it useless. He finally gave in. Cold tears flowed down his face with the speed of waterfalls. He buried his wet face in his pillow and cried out.

"It's not fair! Why did he have to die! Joooeey!!" he shouted into his pillow.

Yami sat upright next to Yugi. He was, himself, trying to hold back tears as he attempted to comfort his grieving half.

**Aibou... **he said softly. Yami put a hand on Yugi's shoulder.

**It's ok. Let it out. It's alright to miss Joey. I miss him too, but you must stay strong. **Yami said.

Yugi stopped for a second to sniff.

_But, Joey....we've lost him before. But...this time, we can't bring him back. _Yugi managed to choke out.

Yami was trying even harder to hold his sadness back. Silent tears crept down his face.

**Listen, you must be strong. Joey...he's in a better place now. **Yami said reassuringly.

Yugi kept his face in the pillow. _Yami, it's gonna be so hard without Joey. He's always been there for me, but the one time he needed me most, I couldn't help him..._

Yami got a surprised look on his face. **Aibou, are you blaming Joey's death on yourself!? It wasn't your fault. There is nothing you could have done.**

_But how can I know? Maybe there was something I could have done....maybe if I just-_

**Yugi! Stop blaming yourself! You know that Joey wouldn't want you to beat yourself up like this! Especially not for something that you had no control over!**

Yugi looked up at Yami. _M-maybe you're right Yami...but still....Joey's gone, and he isn't coming back...._

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Joey stared blankly for a moment. "You're my what?" he questioned, not believing what was happening. "You're Guardian Angel! But you can call me Sumi!" the girl said smiling. Joey snapped out of his confusion. "Well, great job ya did Ms. Guardian! I got shot in the back!" he shouted enraged. Sumi stopped smiling. "Well uh....I'm not an 'official' guardian yet..." she said rubbing the back of her head. Joey sweatdropped. "Well, I see why ya haven't earned yer halo yet." he said in an annoyed tone. "Actually, that's a common misconception." Sumi corrected. "Whatever! Could you just please tell me where da heck I am!?" Joey shouted.

"Well, it's a bit confusing really. You see, you're dead...but not really dead..." Sumi said looking a little confused herself. Joey just gave her a confused look. "Okay, you died....but you're not officially dead yet...you're...sortta...." Sumi stressed to find the right words. "Are you getting any of this?" she asked. Joey shook his head. Sumi thought for a while how to explain this. "Okay, you died...." Sumi started. "Now you are hovering between the Living World and the After Life...understand?" she asked. "I think so..." Joey replied. "Good," Sumi sighed, "cause' I was starting to get a headache." Joey just groaned at his pathetic excuse for a guardian.

"So, why ain't I officially dead yet?" Joey asked. "Well, you see, when you were lying on the ground, you weren't supposed to move. If you just forgot about getting even with those people, and stayed perfectly still, you would have lived. Because you would have lived, Yugi would have found out about that plan, and therefore, he would have been safe because he would get help." Sumi explained. Joey looked down in shame. "So, if Yuge dies....it's my fault?" he asked sadly. "Well, that's where you not dying comes in." Sumi started up once again. Joey looked up at her. "What do ya mean?"

"Well," Sumi began, "since you weren't suppose to die yet, Yugi's guardian and I pulled a few strings, and now you get a another chance." "Another chance?" Joey asked, his hopes rising. "Yep. You are allowed to help Yugi out. But you have to make sure he's safe, and that he doesn't get killed. In return, you can get your life back." Sumi said happily. "Really!? Awesome!" Joey smiled brightly. He felt as though he could have jumped around cheering, but decided to keep himself restrained.

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It was the next day in the Mutou home. Yugi and his friends decided to get together to talk. This horrible tragedy was not taken lightly. Joey had been an increasingly important role in this group of friends. Among the devastated group were all of Joey's closest friends and family. Tristan, Tea, Serenity, and of course, Yugi. The room was silent for a while. Serenity was sitting with her head in her hands, silently weeping. Tea was sitting next to her, attempting to comfort her. Tristan stood, trying desperately not to cry, but failing miserably. Yugi sat on the couch. He held his hands, clenched into fists, in his lap. His eyes were filling with tears, and his mouth was quivering, as if he wanted to cry out. There was an unnatural sort of tension between the friends. Suddenly, the silence was broken.

"So, uh, Yugi..." Tristan said, trying to hold back his sadness. "When....did they say...when is Joey's...you know?" He stumbled with his words. Yugi understood what Tristan was trying to say, but took it hard. "They said it would be next Friday" Yugi said regretfully. Tristan nodded and the awkward silence returned. It was about ten minutes later that the silence was once again broken, this time by Tea. "Hey you guys! How about we try to change the mood a little? How about some delicious lemonade?" she said trying to act cheerful. That's when a small piece of chaos broke loose.

Tristan growled in response. "Tea! How can you act all cheery!? Joey just **died**! And you expect us to just forget about it and sit around here drinking lemonade!?" Tea stepped back a little. Tristan's shouting took her by surprise. She stood up and yelled back at him. "I was just trying to change the mood! I know it's sad, but it would be nice to see someone smile! Just sitting around, sniveling all day won't get anything done!" Tristan and Tea argued like there was no tomorrow. Finally, Yugi started to get annoyed.

He was usually quiet, and always tried to stop his friends from fighting with each other by kind words. But this time was different. This time, Yugi was different. "Shut up, both of you!! Joey died, and just because you two can't get along doesn't mean that you can just start arguing when we're suppose to be remembering him!! I don't care if we need to change our attitudes or not!! **Show some respect you** **idiots**!!" Yugi was breathing heavily now. That remark he had just made had freed the anger he had felt over the years. It was like all that rage he had to keep inside just blurted out. Unfortunately, this anger was directed at his friends.

Yugi clapped his hand over his mouth once he realized what he had said. His eyes were full of shock at how he had just spoken to his dearest friends. Tea and Tristan just stared at Yugi. Never before had they seen him express such rage. Not even at the evil enemies he had faced. He had showed anger toward them, but never like he had just now.

"Guys, I-I didn't mean..." Yugi stuttered. He was so ashamed of himself. That outburst might have just cost him their friendship. Tristan and Tea's looks softened. They understood completely. Yugi didn't mean any of the words he just said, but it was still hard to believe that he, of all people, had insulted them. "It's ok Yugi. We know you didn't mean any of that." Tristan replied. "Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't be fighting. Not at a time like this." Tea added. "How about we all sit down and talk?" Serenity suggested. It was definitely a good time to speak with each other. Yugi needed his remaining friends now, more than ever.

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"Ok, so how do I get outta here to help Yugi?" Joey asked. "Well, to aid a living person, you must get permission from their Guardian Angel." Sumi explained. "So, we need to go see Yugi's guardian?" Joey asked. "Yup. Come on, I'll bring you to her." Sumi replied. She started to float away. Joey followed her. He was extremely excited. He would get to save his best friend, and get his life back. This was great. Nothing could go wrong. Right?

After what seemed like an eternity, Sumi and Joey finally stopped. Ahead of them, they could see a tall girl. She had long, almost golden hair, bright green eyes, and wore the same outfit as Sumi. She also had two large feathery wings. She was sitting, looking into a small cube. There seemed to be something on the screen. Sumi and Joey approached the angel. "Hey Kiko! Over here!" Sumi called out waving a hand in the air. The angel looked over at the two. A smile grew on her face. She swiftly picked up the cube and floated over to Sumi and Joey. "Hey, Sumi. This is Joey, right?" the angel asked. The brown haired angel nodded. "Well, hello there Joey! I've seen you with Yugi a lot. You seem like a real nice guy as far as I can tell. Oh, by the way, I'm Kiko." the angel said shaking Joey's hand. "Uh, hi Kiko." Joey said nervously. 'she seems nice...' he thought to himself.

"So, Kiko, is Joey allowed to help Yugi?" Sumi asked. "Of course! They're best friends! Why wouldn't I allow him to help? Besides, if he saves Yugi, I'll be eternally grateful." Kiko said excitedly. She seemed a little...peppy. You would think she would be a bit more serious. Joey then thought of something. "Hey Kiko, if you're Yugi's guardian, then wouldn't dat pharoh guy have a guardian too?" he asked. "Oh, I'm Yami's guardian too. Two vessels, one body, gotta take care of um both." Kiko said smiling. Joey looked at the cube that Kiko held. "Hey, what's that?" he asked pointing to the cube.

"Oh, this? It's a monitor thingy. It let's me see Yugi so I can watch him 24/7." Kiko explained. "Uh, would you mind if I see how Yuge's doing?" Joey asked timidly. "Sure! Just look into the screen." Kiko said handing Joey the cube. The blonde boy looked into the TV-like screen. In it, he could see his best friend. But Yugi wasn't himself. He looked incredibly depressed. He was crying silently. Joey could also see Tristan, Tea, and Serenity in the background. They were talking, and mourning at the same time. But what really caught his attention was Serenity sobbing, Tristan actually crying, Tea weeping as well, and Yugi, looking like his heart had just shattered. Joey couldn't bear to watch this. His friends were so miserable. His death obviously had driven his closet friends into a deep depression. It was just too much to stand.

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MP: Okay. That's it. If you don't like it, go read another story. If you like it, then stay tuned. Because the next chapters are going to get crazier. I'll continue to ask you not to shoot me for killing Joey last chapter. But I think you'll all enjoy the fact that Joey is still a main character in this fic. To finish up, thank you for the reviews, please send more!

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**Preview for Chapter 3**

Yugi walked up to his bedroom and got dressed in his pajamas. After he was done, he sat on the ledge of his open window. He stared out at the calm night sky. The gentle breeze swayed his hair, and ruffled his cloths. The shining stars seemed to take away all the pain of that day's events. Everthing seemed like no more than a dream. Like nothing was real. In a way, he wished it wasn't.

Yugi looked down below him, at the darkened grass under his legs, which were hanging out the window. He was quite high up. This was because he lived on top of the game shop his grandfather owned. He thought of how easy it would be to just end it all. He could just jump from this window, fall to the ground, and he could end all this misery he felt. Then, he could be with Joey forever.


	3. Suicide?

MP: Well, here is chapter three. Now, this is short, but amusing.......sort of. Uh, if you are a Yugi fan.....after reading this chapter, you will probably want to kill me. I'm sure that I will be getting MANY angry reviews. But be assured, everything will work out. In addition, I would like to ask that nobody strangle me in your reviews. My friend almost killed me over this story. Well, here it is. Now I must hide under the bed until chapter four. Enjoy!

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 3**_

Yugi sat on the couch. He and his friends were discussing Joey's death. Of course, this wasn't an easy subject. They also talked about the great memories they had shared with him over the years. It was hard to laugh though. Because the person that brought them so much joy was gone. Never to make them smile again.

Yugi was sitting, lost in thought. He had to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out. Thinking always helped him forget about the world around him. He sat there, remembering all the good times he'd had with Joey. They say when you lose someone, that if you think about the good times you had with them, you'll feel better. But that was most certainly a lie. The more Yugi thought of the good old days, the more he missed his best friend.

As they all talked, Yami sat in holographic form, next to Yugi. He was thinking about Joey too. But he wasn't thinking about the happy memories he'd had with him. He was thinking of how Joey could have died. The doctors said he suffered a severe blow to the head, and was shot in the back. He was found by a passing police car, in an alley somewhere. It was concluded that he had died six hours before being found. His body was currently being held at the hospital Joey had been taken to, until his funeral.

_Hey Yami, what are you thinking about? _Yugi asked, noticing Yami starring off into space.

**Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about Joey. **Yami answered.

_You're thinking about how Joey died huh? _

**How did you know?**

_Mind-link remember? You can't hide anything from me_

A joking smile crept on Yugi's face. But it slowly disappeared as the conversation continued.

Yami nodded. **Of course, I guess I forgot...you're right. I am thinking of how he died.**

_Well, maybe it was a street fight. We both know how many of those he gets into._

**No, I don't think it was a street fight. That solution just seems too simple.**

_Hm...maybe someone jumped him on his way home_

**No, I don't think that was the case. The attackers would most likely dump the body off somewhere instead of leave it for anyone to find. And despite what people say, I think Joey's too smart to get jumped so easily.**

_You know, it's hard to guess when you keep shooting down my ideas. _Yugi said looking playfully annoyed.

Yami thought for a moment. **Yugi, I have an idea... **

_What?_

**You may not like this, but I think we should go see Joey's body at the hospital...**

Yugi's face turned into a mix of disgust and surprise. _What!? Go see Joey's dead body!!? Why on earth would we do that!?_

**Well, if we examined him, we might find more clues. And I think I might be able to probe through his mind. I might uncover some memories of what happened.**

_I don't know....are you sure it would work? I mean, he's dead. Can you read dead minds?_

**Well, the messages don't come out very clearly...but I think I can still make out his last thoughts**

_Well, if it'll help find whoever did this to Joey, I'll do it!_

**Good. Then we'll go to the hospital tomorrow, bright and early. And be assured Yugi, we won't rest until we've avenged Joey, and brought justice!**

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Joey gave the monitor back to Kiko. He didn't want to see his friends suffer. "Ok, how can I help?" he asked. "Well, we'll start by explaining what you need to do." Sumi said. Kiko began to explain. "Well, we're going to send you down to earth. You'll be in a spiritual form, so no one will see or hear you. Now, we'll allow you to be able to pick up solid objects and stuff...and you can pass through them too. But possibly the most crucial part is that you can give people messages. You can communicate through their dreams. People are more aware of the ghost world when asleep. That'll be the key." "Okay, so how do I find Yugi?" Joey asked.

"Well, if you were to lose track of Yugi, heaven forbid, you can use my monitor." Kiko said handing the monitor back to Joey. He took it, once again seeing the sad expressions of his friends and family. He tried blocking out that vision by looking away and focusing on something else. "Right. So, now that I know what ta' do, how do I get down there?" the blonde asked motioning down, to the earth below. "Like this..." Sumi flicked her finger and with a wisp of wind, a hole opened up under Joey. He plunged down to earth, screaming at the top of his lungs. But as he fell, he heard Sumi call down to him. "Good luck Joooeeyy!!"

Joey saw the earth getting closer and closer to him. He closed his eyes, preparing to feel a bone-shattering pain as he hit the ground. He sensed himself coming closer to the concrete. He was now a few yards away. He braced. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Joey was sitting on the ground, perfectly unharmed. Now he was confused. 'oh yeah!' he thought to himself, 'i'm dead! I can't feel pain! well, at least there's an upside to the afterlife...' He stood up and brushed himself off. He looked at the cube which, amazingly, was still in his hands. It wasn't damaged. Joey saw Yugi saying good-bye to his friends. Yami was standing next to him in holographic form. Wait, Joey could see Yami!? Apparently when you're a spirit, you can see other spirits. Wow, you learn something new every day.

Joey looked around at his surroundings. It looked like he was about two streets away from Yugi's house. That's probably where Yugi was. Joey started at a run towards it. The faster he got to Yugi, the faster he could save him. He hoped he could at least stop those hooded freaks from killing him. He didn't care if he couldn't get his life back. As long as Yugi was safe, Joey was happy.

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Yugi said farewell as his friends walked out the door. It was about 8:30PM now. The time seemed to fly as they had talked. He and Yami had got further into their discussion about the plan to see Joey. Yugi found it a bit difficult to talk about seeing Joey's lifeless corpse. It was just a little disturbing. But, he thought it best to stay focused. This was all he could do to help Joey now.

Yugi walked up to his bedroom and got dressed in his pajamas. After he was done, he sat on the ledge of his open window. He stared out at the calm night sky. The gentle breeze swayed his hair, and ruffled his cloths. The shining stars seemed to take away all the pain of that day's events. Everything seemed like no more than a dream. Like nothing was real. In a way, he wished it wasn't.

Yugi looked down below him, at the darkened grass under his legs, which were hanging out the window. He was quite high up. This was because he lived on top of the game shop his grandfather owned. He thought of how easy it would be to just end it all. He could just jump from this window, fall to the ground, and he could end all this misery he felt. Then, he could be with Joey forever.

He leaned over, closer to the edge of the window. He came closer and closer to tilting off. He was just letting himself go. He could feel the wind picking up. As if urging him to let go of the ledge and fall to his death. He closed his eyes, and was letting himself sink deep into darkness as he loosened his grip on the ledge, and began to slip away.

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Joey couldn't believe it was taking him this long to run to such a short distance. Normally, it would have taken him five minutes tops to get to Yugi's from here. But he kept stopping to check the time at nearby clocks and was constantly checking the cube, to see if Yugi left. Joey had decided to stop looking at the monitor, thinking it was a distraction, and kept running.

Finally, he reached the game shop where Yugi lived. The lights were off. All except for Yugi's room. Joey ran to the side of the shop and looked up at the room, hoping to see Yugi looking out the window, smiling at something. But his hopes were dashed, and new fears were awakened as he saw Yugi sitting on the ledge of the window. He was leaning, no, falling. Yugi was going to fall out the window and die. Joey stared, paralyzed with both fear and doubt. Where was Yugi's grandpa!? Where was Yami!? Why was he just standing there!? Joey watched helplessly. He just wasn't able to believe it. Yugi was committing suicide!!

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MP: And so, there it is. Chapter three. I hope that nobody will be sending any death threats. Now then, I must go work on chapter four, so Yugi fans won't hate me throughout this story. Read and Review!

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**Preview for Chapter 4**

Yami sat on Yugi's bed, lost in thought. He was thinking of how Joey could have been murdered like that. Who would hate Joey enough to kill him? And who would be next? Tristan? Maybe not. Tea? He certainly hoped not. Serenity? Maybe....but not likely. Then, the only one left was....Yugi! Suddenly, Yami felt a sharp jolt. I worried feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. But why?

What was there to worry about? Everything was fine. The doors were locked, the lights were off, the burgler alarm was set on, and he and Yugi were all the way up-wait, Yugi! Yami snapped his head in Yugi's direction. What he saw made him freeze with fear. Yugi was going to jump out the window! Why hadn't he noticed before!?

**YUGI!! Don't jump!** Yami shouted at him.

_Yami..._ Yugi replied weakly. _good-bye..._

With that, Yugi slid off the edge and plunged to his death.

**YUUUUGGIIIIII!!!!**

Yami franticly scrabbled to the window and tried to grab Yugi's hand. But by the time he reached his hand out, it was too late.


	4. Dead men do tell tales

MP: Okay. This chaptermight freak youreaders out a little at the beginning. But, I promise it'll all turn out ok. Now, I should probably give you guys some fair warnings before you read this. It_does_ have a suicide attempt. It also has a part with a dead body. But, that's not really that bad. Anyway, it's a crazy chapter indeed. Well, in any case, here it is. Chapter 4...

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 4**_

Yugi could feel himself slipping. His vision darkened as he completely lost himself in a daze. He felt the wind blowing as he began to lose control of his body. He felt limp, like his mind was fading away. He was blacking out, as his body tilted closer to the edge. And finally, he felt his hand slip off the ledge.

His legs slowly slipped off the cold windowsill. His body fell down toward the ground, giving him a view of his destination. This was it. It was all going to end here. All the pain and suffering he had gone through would soon be gone. For a brief moment, Yugi thought about what being dead was like. He thought of an unimaginable paradise. No fighting, no pain, no tears. A place where he could be with Joey for all eternity.

Yugi hovered between certain life and death. He was in control of his fate. He could choose weither to live out the rest of his life, miserable and lonely without his best friend, or he could leave this world, and have eternal happiness with Joey and others he had lost. He decided. There wasn't a trace of doubt in his mind. This is what he wanted. He wanted to die.

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Joey watched in horror as Yugi dangled out of his window. He was going to commit suicide! But, if Yugi died, then no one would be happy. Yugi would die, Joey would lose his chance, and their friends would be even more grief-stricken. This couldn't be the solution. Yugi killing himself wouldn't fix anything! It couldn't make anyone happy.

Snapping out of his daze, Joey realized the immediate danger. He yelled out to his friend. "YUGI!! Yugi, don't do it! Don't jump!!" He shouted desperately, but was unsuccessful. He noticed that Yugi was leaning further forward, and was now mere inches from tumbling to his doom. Joey had to act quickly.

He ran toward the house, hoping that Yugi wouldn't go through with this. Joey stopped in front of the wall. He looked up to the window. He stepped back a little, and tried to calculate where Yugi would fall if he did try. One mistake could spell doom.

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Yami sat on Yugi's bed, lost in thought. He was thinking of how Joey could have been murdered like that. Who would hate Joey enough to kill him? And who would be next? Tristan? Maybe not. Tea? He certainly hoped not. Serenity? Maybe....but not likely. Then, the only one left was.....Yugi! Suddenly, Yami felt a sharp jolt. I worried feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. But why?

What was there to worry about? Everything was fine. The doors were locked, the lights were off, the burglar alarm was set on, and he and Yugi were all the way up-wait, Yugi! Yami snapped his head in Yugi's direction. What he saw made him freeze with fear. Yugi was going to jump out the window! Why hadn't he noticed before!?

**YUGI!! Don't jump! **Yami shouted at him.

_Yami.... _Yugi replied weakly. _good-bye..._

With that, Yugi slid off the edge and plunged to his death.

**YUUUUUGGIIIIII!!!!!**

Yami franticly scrabbled to the window and tried to grab Yugi's hand. But by the time he reached his hand out, it was too late.

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Yugi slipped down, off the ledge and began to fall. He did it. He was finally going to join Joey. He was finally going to escape. But as he fell, Yugi could hear a voice call out to him.

**YUUUUUGGIIIIII!!!!!**

Yugi recognized that voice. It was Yami. That's right, Yami! If Yugi died, so would he. How could he have been so stupid? This wouldn't fix anything. Sure, he might see Joey again, but that was it. Back on earth, the others would be nothing but miserable. Tea, Tristan, Serenity, all of them! And Yami wouldn't even be around anymore! How could he do that to his closest friends?

Yugi's suddenly realized what he was doing. He snapped out of his trance. I sudden jolt rushed through him. He was going to die! He was in the air, falling, and he was going to die! What was he thinking!? Instinctively, Yugi let out a scream of fear.

_AAAAHHHH!!! HEELP!! YAAMIIIII!!!!_

**YUUUGIIIII!!!**

It was too late. Yugi was too far down to reach. This was it. He would pay for having such a stupid thought. But what worried him most, was that his friends and family would pay for it too. Yugi closed his eyes, bracing for impact. This was it. He would hit the ground, feel a bone-shattering pain, then blackness and what would lye beyond. Yugi braced. Then, he felt himself hit....something....but it was....soft.

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Joey saw Yugi slide off the ledge. He was really doing this! Now Joey couldn't afford to miss. No screw-ups, no miscalculations, no anything. He had to catch Yugi. No matter what.

He had done the math, and according to his calculations, Yugi should land right where he was. Of course, he was terrible at math. He just prayed that he could get this one problem right. Joey stared up at his falling friend. He couldn't believe Yugi was doing this. Suddenly, Yugi's eyes shot completely open, like he had realized something. He let out a fearful scream. "AAAAHHHH!!! HEELP!! YAAMIIIII!!!!"

From somewhere up in the room, Joey could hear someone else. It was a deep voice. Just like how Yugi sounded during duels. It was Yami. "YUUUGIIIII!!!" Yami cried out. Joey was amazed he could hear him. He was right. He could see and hear spirits now.

Yugi's body fell closer and closer. Yugi closed his eyes tightly. He was bracing for the impact. Joey guessed that Yugi wasn't able to see him. Which was probably for the best. Finally, Yugi was within reach. Joey stood his ground. He was prepared to catch Yugi, even if it broke his back (which it couldn't because he's dead, but you get the idea). Suddenly, he felt a heavy load fall on him. Yugi didn't weigh a lot, but he had been so high up that the force was quite powerful. Joey's legs caved in under the unexpected weight. He fell back, but with Yugi safely in his arms.

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Yami closed his eyes, not wanting to see Yugi hit the ground. All hope was lost. Yugi would die. There was nothing he could do. As he heard Yugi's terrified scream, he let out a desperate shout.

**YUUUGIIIII!!!**

But there was no reply. Only a brief silence. Then, a thud. The sound of a body hitting the ground. It was done. Yugi was gone. It was all over. And there was no way it would change. Clutching his eyes closed tightly, and laying his head on the windowsill, he cried. He was supposed to protect Yugi, but now he was gone.

Suddenly, Yami realized something. If Yugi was gone...why was he still here? Shouldn't he have died the minute Yugi did? Yami reluctantly looked out the window. But what he saw filled him with boundless happiness and relief. Yugi was sitting on the ground. Perfectly fine. He had survived! There wasn't a scratch on him. But how? Yami called out to Yugi with glee.

**YUGI!!! **Yami jumped out of the window. Being a spirit, he wouldn't be hurt.

Yugi looked at Yami as he came down to the earth. His face lighting up with joy. _YAMI!!!_

Yami stepped on the ground. He rushed up to Yugi, kneeled down, and rapped arms around him (in a brotherly love sortta way...no yaoi intended).

**Aibou! I was so worried! What in Ra's name were you thinking!?**

_I don't know...but, I'm glad I'm ok._

Yami released him. **But I don't understand. You just fell two stories. How could you survive?**

_I'm not sure....when I fell, I hit something...soft...like someone caught me._

It was then that Yami sensed another presence. Someone else was nearby. But where? Yugi hadn't seen them. But how? It felt like whoever they were, they were almost right next to him. Yami turned his head, looking around. But he saw no one.

_What's the matter Yami?_

Yami shook off the feeling for now. **Nothing. Come on, let's go to bed...**

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Joey opened his eyes. Yugi was sitting on top of him. Yugi was kind of heavy for such a little guy. Well, at least he was safe. Joey looked up at the window where Yugi had fallen. He could see Yami, laying his head down on the window sill. Joey decided it was best if Yami didn't see him. Carefully, he slid out from under Yugi. He snuck into a nearby bush. Now, he was concealed. He looked up at the window to see Yami falling down, a look of nothing less then extreme joy on his face. He watched as Yami embraced Yugi with relief in his voice. Then he noticed Yami look around at something. He was searching for someone. Being careful not to be seen, Joey slunk deeper into the bushes. He saw Yami merely shrug it off. He peeked out the bushes once more. The sight of Yugi actually happy, warmed his heart. He simply smiled.

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It was the next day in the Mutou house hold. Yugi sat up in bed. The sun shone brightly through the window. The weather was bright and cheery. But this time, Yugi wasn't. Although he had survived the night, today wouldn't be easy. Today he had to go see Joey. Or at least, his body. He got dressed, and Yami appeared.

**Did you sleep alright?**

_Yeah. But that won't make today any easier_

Yami put on a worried expression. **Yugi...this has to be done. If we are ever to avenge Joey, we must see to it that his killers are caught.**

_I know but.... _Yugi paused to sigh. _still..._

Yami nodded knowingly. He glanced at the clock. It was 10:30AM.

**Shall we go now?**

Yugi gave no reply, but simply nodded. The two walked out of the room. Yami retreated back to the puzzle when they reached outside. Yugi walked slowly towards the hospital. He trudged along as he thought about what he and Joey might be doing now, had this whole thing never happened. But sadly, it was never to be.

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Joey's eyes fluttered open as he heard a door shut. He stuck his head out of the bush to investigate. He had fallen asleep in the shrub, attempting to conceal himself until he was sure both Yugi and Yami were asleep. Or whatever Yami did when Yugi wasn't awake.

He saw Yugi leaving the house, with a depressed look on his face. No doubt still upset about his death. Joey watched Yugi reach the sidewalk, then stepped out of the bushes, careful not to make a sound. Knowing no one could see him, he followed the small duelist intently. Being sure not to lose sight of him. But if he did, he still had the monitor. Joey wondered what Yugi could be thinking right now.

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Yugi finally arrived at the hospital. He shuddered at the thought of what he was about to see. None the less, he ventured inside. "Excuse me miss...." he spoke to the woman at the counter. "I'm here to see Joey Wheeler." The woman looked through her files. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Wheeler is deceased." she said looking sad. "I know I uh....wanted to see uh...." Yugi fumbled with his words. He knew it was highly unusual to ask to see someone's dead body. The woman got what he was trying to say. "Of course, I'll call in a nurse to show you there." the woman pushed a button. "Attention, Ms. Oriina please report to the front desk, repeat, Ms. Oriina please report to the front desk." her voice echoed over the intercom.

Within minutes a nurse appeared. She had long red hair and bright green eyes. "You wanted me?" she asked. "Yes, this young man would like to see Mr. Wheeler." the woman at the desk replied. "But isn't Mr. Wheeler-" the nurse was cut off. "Yes, he would still like to see him..." the woman said trying make the nurse aware of what she meant. "Oh, of course." the nurse said. "Alright then, come this way." she said motioning to Yugi. Yugi followed her through the hospital. It was odd being in a hospital. All the walls were so white, so clean, so plain. Just passing them was driving Yugi insane. He couldn't bare the thought of having to stare at these walls all day with nothing else to do here. He tried to focus on the task at hand.

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Joey was still following Yugi through this hospital. He wondered why on earth Yugi was here in the first place. He too was being driven insane by these stupid white walls. He had been following Yugi this entire time, and having nothing to watch but these walls. Well, there was a point when Joey had gotten distracted by the look of the food from the cafeteria window. Hey, dead or alive, he was still Joey. But he had used his monitor to find Yugi again and catch up in no time. Finally, Yugi stopped.

They had come to halt in front of a large door. There were words on the door, which read "Staff Only" in bold print. Joey wondered what was beyond that door. And what was Yugi doing here anyway? Suddenly, the nurse Yugi was following opened the door and lead Yugi inside as Joey followed unnoticed. Inside it was cold and dark. There were small, file cabinet-like drawers all over the walls. This place seemed familiar. Like something out of a movie. "He's right here." he heard the nurse say motioning toward one of the drawers. Yugi looked a little uncomfortable. Joey moved toward the drawer and read a small tag under the handle. His curious face turned to shock as he read the name. "Joseph Wheeler".

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Yugi was feeling a little uncomfortable. He was in a hospital, virtually alone besides the nurse, and he was going to see his best friend's dead body. Not exactly his ideal summer vacation. The nurse showed him where Joey was. She pulled open the drawer. It revealed a white blanket covering a motionless figure. There it was again. That annoying color. White. Oh how he hated that color now. If life ever got back to normal, he would have a severe hatred of this color, he just knew it.

"Excuse me miss. Could I maybe be..uh..you know, alone?" Yugi asked nervously. "Of course." the nurse replied. She left the room, shutting the door behind her. Yugi sighed. He was a bit relieved that she had finally gone. He felt more comfortable alone. Slowly, he grabbed the white sheet and pulled it back.

As he removed the cover, he began to see Joey's face. A cold, lifeless, shell of it used to be. Bright, cheerful, carefree and clueless. Now, all that was seen was a calm face, but with a small twist of pain. Yugi wondered what could have happened. It was time to find out. He called out to the pharoh.

_Yami, we're here._

**Alright. Let me take over for this part. **

Yugi nodded and then a flash of light came from the puzzle. In seconds, Yami had taken control of Yugi's body, and Yugi was now in spirit form next to him.

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Joey watched as the nurse pulled open the drawer to show a motionless figure covered in a white sheet. The nurse left the room and Yugi started to pull back the cover. Joey's eyes widened as he saw his own body. It was cold and lifeless. It kind of crept Joey out that he was seeing his own dead body. But what crept him out even more was the fact that Yugi was seeing it. Why were they here?

Suddenly, there was a bright flash from the puzzle. Joey looked over to see Yami in control of Yugi's body, and Yugi standing next to him in spirit form. "So dats what happens ta' Yugi when Yami takes over his body." Joey said staring. "But why is Yami in control now? What are those two up to?"

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Yami stared down at Joey's body. He couldn't be much more saddened, but he had to focus. He took a deep breath and held up his hand. He placed it on Joey's forehead and closed his eyes. He concentrated hard. There was a flash from the puzzle, and then images of Joey's final moments appeared.

In one vision, Joey was walking home from school. In the next he looked over to an alley. He saw dark figures in cloaks. The images blurred and fuzzed over, but Yami could make out most of what he saw. He saw Joey fall to the ground. He heard a gunshot. He could hear Joey's thoughts as he cried out to Yugi. And the last image he saw, the evil face of a man as he took the hood off his head. And a glow from a strange golden cage. Then, everything was black.

Yami's eyes shot open. He removed his hand from Joey's forehead. It hadn't been the best last few moments of a life he had ever seen. Then again, it was the only last moments of a life he had ever seen. Well, except for his own. But that didn't really count.

Yugi looked at Yami concerned. _You ok?_

**Yes, Yami **answered panting. **That just took a lot out of me.**

_So did you find out what happened?_

**I wasn't able to make out much, but I found something. I saw men in cloaks. A sinister looking one who seemed to be the leader. And I also saw the glow of a golden object. Though I wasn't able to make out what it was before I was cast out of Joey's mind.**

_Look's like we're still in a dead end, huh Yami?_

**Maybe, maybe not. If we can find who this person is, we might have a lead......Oh, and Aibou...**

_Yeah?_

**Please don't say dead...**

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**Preview for Chapter 5**

_Yugi stood in the street. He was dressed in his blue school uniform. He had his backpack on. It was a sunny day. Everything looked cheery. "Huh? What am I doing here?" he asked himself. He looked around. This place looked farmiliar. He remembered coming down this way with Joey a few times after school. He saw a figure walking down the street. His eyes widened. That figure...it was...no, it couldn't be...it was....Joey Wheeler._


	5. The Dream

MP: Okay. Here is my next chapter. This one has Joey's murder from a different POV. It dosen't have a lot of importance. But it's a good chapter. At least I think it is. Anyway, you be the judge.

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 5**_

Yugi walked out of the hospital. He sighed. "I wonder what exactly happened to him." he said looking at the ground.

**Whatever happened, you can rest assured that we _will_ avenge Joey's death.**

_Still...that won't bring him back_

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As Yugi was walking, Joey was following. He listened to Yugi and Yami's conversation. They missed him so much. And he missed them. He wondered if this would ever end. If only he had just stayed put, instead of acting on his rage, he would still be alive. He sighed. Once this ordeal was over, he would never go on blind rage again. Ok, so that was a complete lie, but it's the thought that counts.

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Yami was speaking with Yugi still. Suddenly, he felt something. There it was again. The same feeling he got last night. Like the sensing of another presence. But, this presence wasn't like the people around them. It was...ghostly. It's form, identity, or even it's nature couldn't be determined. Yami looked around nervously. Joey hadn't noticed. But luckily, Yugi had called out to Yami before he saw Joey trailing them.

_Yami, what's up? What are you looking for?_

Yami didn't want to worry Yugi. He had it hard enough as it was. **...nothing **he lied.

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Later that night, Yugi stood in his room. He was in his night cloths, ready for bed. Yami was sitting on the bed, scanning the room with his eyes uneasily. That presence, he could still sense it. Yugi buttoned up his shirt and took the puzzle from around his neck. He looked at it intently. 'This is the reason Joey and I became friends.' Yugi thought. He set it down on the table next to his bed. It shined brightly in the moonlight. Yugi looked out the window at the night sky. He felt a shiver up his spine. He turned to see Yami watching him. Yami gave him a glare that could kill. Even without their mental bond, Yugi still could have felt his eyes on him. Yami had been extremely cautious of windows, especially when Yugi was near them. At least, ever since the whole suicide thing.

Yugi gave Yami a nervous smile. Almost as if to say: **_I get it! I get it!_** He yawned and sat on the bed, next to the spirit.

_Yami, this all seems hopeless. I'm not so sure about our plan._

**Have faith Aibou. We can do this. We must simply work together, and never lose hope.**

Yugi nodded. He yawned again and said goodnight to Yami. Yami scooted down to the end of the bed, to allow Yugi to crawl under the covers. Yugi flicked the light switch, on the wall next to him, and snuggled into his bed. Even with everything that was going on, this was still a peaceful place. In his bed, everything felt calm and gentle. And with Yami watching over him, he knew he was safe. He closed his eyes tiredly, and sank deep into sleep.

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Joey sat on the floor outside Yugi's room. He had to stay out here, just incase Yami sensed him. The way Yami was acting, it was quite obvious that was the case. He yawned, quietly, bored out of his mind. It was actually pretty ironic. He was dead, yet he felt he could die of boredom. Which was also odd at the time, especially since he had so much to worry about. He heard Yugi and Yami talking in the room.

Joey couldn't help but smile at Yami's incouraging words. The same kind of words he told Joey about dueling, confidence, friendship, and just about everything else. Though, at the time, he usually thought of him as just 'Yugi'. He saw the light coming from the crack under the door disappear. Yugi must have turned off the lights. He heard a 'goodnight,' and a ruffle of cloth. After a few minutes, he heard Yugi's soft sounds of sleeping.

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Yami looked at Yugi. Finally, he was asleep. Yami smiled at the peaceful expression on his face as he slept. Yami's eyes suddenly turned serious. He stood up and quietly walked to the middle of the room. "Spirit!" he called. "I know you're here! I have sensed you for a long time. Now, show yourself! Are you friend, or foe? Answer now!" he demanded. He was keeping his voice as quiet as possible. He didn't want to wake Yugi. "I said come out!" Yami waited, tensing, for a few minutes. After a while, the sound of something moving was heard. The door slowly began to creek open.

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Joey heard Yami's voice. He was yelling at someone. He had discovered Joey. Joey had to think quickly. Should he reveal himself? Should he stay hidden? What was the worse thing that could happen if Yami knew he was there? Yami wasn't going to give in. Unsure of what to do, Joey decided he should keep his identity a secret. He'd figure it out tomorrow. Quickly, he floated down the stairs. He grabbed a piece of paper off a counter.

He snatched a pen and scribbled something down. He slowly floated back up the stairs. He stubbed his foot, and made a _'thud' _sound. He hoped Yami couldn't hear him. Slowly, he opened the creaky door. Joey allowed the paper to gently glide in the air. It flew across the room, and landed at Yami's feet. Joey, deciding he would have to sleep somewhere else tonight, slipped away into the shadows.

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Yami saw a small note slide into the room and land at his feet. "What's this?" he said picking up the note. On the small piece of paper, was a message.

It read: Yami,

Take care of Yugi for me. I'll be back soon. Until you both can see me, I'll always be with you in spirit, literally.

an old pal o' yours

Yami eyed the note suspiciously. Who could have written this? The handwriting looked familiar, but Yami couldn't place it. Why did they say to take care of Yugi? How did they know Yami's name? What did they mean by 'I'll be back soon'? Who was this 'old pal of theirs'? And what exactly was this spirit up to?

Questions rattled the spirit's brain. He heard Yugi groan in his sleep. Yami decided that this was something for another time. Right now, he had to keep watch while Yugi slept. And maybe get some sleep himself. Since he was a spirit, he didn't need to rest, but it always felt good. Yami sat at the end of Yugi's bed. He pocketed the note. He'd figure this out tomorrow. It was too much for tonight. Besides, by now he couldn't sense the presence anymore. Yami closed his eyes and slipped slowly into slumber.

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_Yugi stood in the street. He was dressed in his blue school uniform. He had his backpack on. It was a sunny day. Everything looked cheery. "Huh? What am I doing here?" he asked himself. He looked around. This place looked familiar. He remembered coming down this way with Joey a few times after school. He saw a figure walking down the street. His eyes widened. That figure....it was...no, it couldn't be....it was....Joey Wheeler._

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Joey saw that Yami was finally asleep. He was watching Yami and Yugi from outside, through the window. Joey sighed in relief. He sank down to the ground. Carefully, he took out the monitor that he still had. He watched Yugi and Yami sleeping. They were so peaceful. Yugi even looked happier when he was dreaming.

Suddenly, the monitor began to static over. "What the!?" Joey hit the monitor with his fist. "Don't tell me dis thing loses reception!" An image finally appeared on the screen. It was Sumi. "Sumi? What are you doin' on the monitor screen?" Joey asked.

"Joey Wheeler! Did you forget what I told you!?" Sumi practically yelled. Joey covered his ears at the loud noise. "Forget what?" he asked. Sumi sighed. "You can talk to Yugi through his dreams! Remember!? Now get up there and enter his dreams already!" she scolded. Joey looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you insane!? Yami's up there!" he said. "He's asleep. Don't worry. Kiko is going to make sure Yugi and Yami stay asleep while you do this, ok? Now go!" Sumi demanded. Joey sighed and turned off the monitor. He set it down and floated up to the window. He knew what he had to do. He just hoped he could get Yugi to believe him.

Joey phased through the window. He walked to Yugi's side. He honestly had no idea how to enter a dream, but he decided to try by placing his hand on Yugi's forehead. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Joey was suddenly sucked into a void. It had worked. Joey opened his eyes and looked around. It was nothing but blank surrounding . Nothing but white space. Oh, how he hated the color white. Joey closed his eyes and concentrated again. Suddenly, a background appeared around him. He opened his eyes and saw where he was. This was where he was walking home the day he was killed. Joey saw Yugi appear in the middle of the street. Good, now he had to get Yugi to see everything that had happened to him that day. Then, he would give Yugi some clues as to what he needed to do, and Yugi could figure it out and be safe. This was easy. What could go wrong?

He started to remember the incident exactly how it happened. Every word, every movement, every detail. Joey watched as he saw a figure of himself walking down the sidewalk as he had done. Now, it had begun.

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_Yugi stared at Joey. He...he was...alive? But, where was he going? Yugi ran up to Joey. Hope filled his eyes. "Joey!!" he yelled out. "Joey! Your alive!" He came to Joey and threw his arms around him. But something was wrong. His hands, they phased through Joey's body. Yugi's eyes widened. "J-Joey?" Joey ignored him and kept walking, his face bright and cheerful. Yugi stared at him as he walked down the sidewalk, stopping about every few yards. Yugi came to his senses and followed after. "Joey! Wait!"_

_The blonde stopped suddenly. Yugi stopped right behind him. "Joey? Why did you-" He stopped talking when he heard something. He could hear voices in the distance. Joey had heard them too. He walked up to a near by alley. He looked into it and seemed paralyzed. Yugi walked up and peeked in the alley as well. "Joey, what are you looking at?" he asked. His eyes widened. There was a group of men talking. They were all wearing black cloaks. They looked like Rare Hunters. _

_Yugi suddenly saw a flash of gold. He strained his eyes to see the shining figure in the darkness. It looked like a golden cage with an eye on it that looked like the one on his Millenium Puzzle. 'What is that thing!?' Yugi thought. He caught a few words that the group was saying. Words like, 'Millenium Puzzle' 'power' and 'Yugi Mutou.'_

_Yugi stepped back in surprise. How did these guys know about him and his puzzle? Were these more evil hunters trying to get the power of the Pharoh? Suddenly, Yugi heard a loud whack, a scream of pain, and a thud. He turned to see Joey, lying on the cement, knocked out. There was a large man standing over him, holding a pipe. Joey had a small patch of blood on his head, and a small amount of blood was on the pipe. "JOEY!!" Yugi yelled. He kneeled down at Joey's side. "Joey! Joey, can you hear me!? Joey?" The man that hit Joey laughed coldly. He shouted to the people in the alley. They came running. But all Yugi could hear was his tears hitting the pavement. "Joey..."_

_Yugi looked into Joey's eyes and saw a bit of life. "Joey!" he shouted. His heart was lifted with hope once more. Joey's eyes hardened and he got an angry look. Something had made him mad. Yugi could see fiery rage in his friend's eyes. It must have been what the group was saying. But Yugi hadn't been listening to them. He saw Joey move. He tried to move at least. "Joey! Are you oka-" Yugi's voice was interrupted by a loud bang. There was a bright flash. Then, Joey let out an agonized scream. Yugi saw a hole appear in Joey's back, as blood began to flow out. It also pooled around him. Yugi stared in shock. Tears flooded down his face. "J-J-" he could barely manage to speak. "JOOOEEEYY!!!!"_

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Joey watched Yugi. He was kneeling on the ground next to his body. Yugi was crying so hard now. He couldn't stand to watch Yugi so sad. He hated seeing his best friend cry. But he had to show Yugi what happened. Finally, the background faded into darkness. This was where Joey had died. He saw that Yugi hadn't noticed that everything had gone black. Yugi was just sitting there, crying and mumbling to himself. Joey needed to tell Yugi what to do. He walked over to where his best friend, and his old body, were. Yugi still didn't seem to notice. Until, Joey finally spoke up. "Yugi...."

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_Yugi just looked at Joey's dead body. "Joey....don't go! Please don't die!" He knew it was too late. His best friend was lying there, dead, on the cold pavement. "Was...was this how he died? But who could do such a thing? And...why?" He felt a sudden rage fill him. There was no reason to kill Joey. He was injured, he couldn't even defend himself. "He wasn't a threat...so why!? Why did they have to murder him!?!" Yugi's hands were in fists, his eyes angry. The tears still fell, but they were tears of sadness and frustration. He had a look in his eye. A look of wanting revenge. _

_Yugi wanted to kill whoever had done this to his friend. "He couldn't do anything to them...." he said through clentched teeth. "Yugi...." said a strange voice. Yugi looked up from Joey's body. He turned around to see Joey, standing behind him. "J-Joey..." He stared at Joey, his eyes full of confusion. "Joey, is that really you?" he asked. "Yep. It's me alright." Joey said smiling. Yugi's angry expression forced itself into a smile. It was Joey. He was still alive. "Joey!!" Yugi jumped up and hugged his friend tight. His arms didn't phase through this time. He was real. This was Joey. _

_"Hey Yugi." Joey said hugging his friend back. "Joey! I thought you were dead!" Yugi said smiling. Joey's warm smile turned into a frown. "Yuge...I..I am dead." he said softly. Yugi's eyes went wide. He released his friend and stepped back. "You...you..you are dead?" he asked, not wanting to believe him. "But...you're here, you're talking with me...how can you be dead?" Joey sighed. " Yuge, dis is a dream...all of it. I came in here to show you what happened to me. Once you wake up, I'll still be gone." Yugi's eyes started brimming with tears again. "No..no Joey. You can't be gone! Please, don't leave me!" he begged. "Sorry pal, that's just how it has ta' be." Joey replied. _

_Suddenly, Joey's body began fading. "Ah! What the? What's goin' on!?" he shouted. "Joey!" Sumi's voice could be heard. "Joey, I'm afraid Kiko can't hold them asleep any longer! You're being pulled out!" she said. "Just great.." Joey said watching his hands disappear. "Listen, Yugi. Keep up your search. Dat guy that Yami told you about, his name is Kutana...remember dat, ok?" _

_Yugi nodded. "But Joey, why do you have to leave? Please, stay with me!" he pleaded. Joey's eyes turned soft, and he gave Yugi an encouraging smile. "Yug...I can't tell you how or when...but I promise...you will see me again. Until then...I'll always be with you..right here." He placed his hand over Yugi's heart. Joey began to disappear into nothingness. "No, wait! Joey! Don't leave! Don't go!" Yugi called out. "Good-bye Yugi..." were Joey's final words._

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Yugi tossed and turned in his bed. "Joey..don't leave..Joey." His eyes shot open. He sat up and breathed heavily. "Was..was that all just a dream?" he asked himself.

**Yugi, are you ok? **Yami asked, sitting in front of him.

_Uh, yeah. I just had a...scary dream. _Yugi replied, starting to settle down a bit. He took easy breaths now.

**You kept saying Joey's name**

_Yeah...I had a dream about him. I think It's how he was killed!_

**What? Are you sure!?**

_Yeah. He even appeared to me and told me so._

**He appeared to you? Did you find anything out?**

_Yeah! He said that guy you saw, his name was Kutana!_

Yami nodded. **Kutana...I'll remember that**

Outside, it was morning. Joey was sitting on the ground again, next to the monitor. He had done his job. Maybe now this horrifying ordeal would get over with. Joey remembered how happy Yugi had been to see him. He just smiled. Soon, he could see that happiness again. Soon, he hoped.

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Days passed as Yugi and Yami searched for traces of Kutana. Unfortunately, to no avail. There wasn't a single clue found. Joey wasn't able to help them out much. This entire time though, Yami had been keeping an eye out for any evil spirits.

It was finally Thursday night. Yugi sat on his bed. He sighed. The grim thought of tomorrow was filling his head. Tomorrow was Joey's funeral. This wasn't going to be easy.

**What's wrong? **Yami asked, sitting next to him.

Yugi sighed. _Nothing. It's just that.... Tomorrow's Joey's funeral. And, well, it's going to be really hard. And since I'm one of his close friends, I'm suppose to make a speech._

**Well, you were Joey's best friend. I know you'll do fine with that speech. Just say what's in your heart.**

Yugi was silent. **It's not the speech, is it? **Yami asked.

_No...If I go to this funeral, it'll mean saying goodbye to him, for the last time. It means, that I'll never see him again._

Yami began to rub Yugi's back. **Yugi...I know you and Joey were best friends, and it's hard to say goodbye sometimes..but it's something we all must do. You can't change these things. All you can do, is try your best to keep going on.**

Yugi nodded. He whipped some tears away. _Thanks Yami_. He crawled under his blankets and turned off the light. Yami moved to the end of the bed. Although he was acting strong, Yami was also having a hard time with this. As soon as he was sure that Yugi was asleep, he allowed silent tears to flow down his face. Joey was outside, watching through the window. He too, dreaded the day ahead. But they all knew, it had to come.

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MP: Well, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it. Now then, next up is the funeral chapter. So you know it'll be interesting. Stick around, because there'll be some slightly over dramatic stuff in chapter five. Read and Review!

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**Preview for Chapter 6**

The car stopped and Joey's focus on the outside was broken. He looked at Yugi, who was getting out of the car. Mr. Mutou was exiting aswell. Joey got out of the car to see why they stopped. He was surprised to find they were outside a cemetary. Yugi was walking in. Joey followed. Why was Yugi going into the cemetary? Joey obviously wasn't that quick to catch on. He saw that they were coming up on a crowd of people. Yugi wandered in. Joey almost lost him in the crowd of black. If it weren't for that hair of his, he never would have noticed him. Joey went through the crowd. He saw many farmiliar faces. Tristan, Tea, Serenity, his mom, wait, why were his friends and family here? He looked at the coffin in the middle. He glanced at the name on the side to see just who this guy was. His eyes widened. The name read **Joseph Wheeler**.


	6. Saying Goodbye

MP: Hello again readers. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy. Plus, there were a few technical problems. Anyway, this chapter is more or less one of those fluffy chappies. But it has some important information near the end. I'm trying to add a more realistic and tragic view to my story. Anyway, here's chapter 6. Enjoy.

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**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 6**_

Yugi awoke the next day. The room was still quite dark. He looked through the window to see a gray sky. It was raining, and the sun was blocked out by gray clouds. Yugi sighed. The weather was perfect for today. Today, he had to attend Joey's funeral. He walked to his closet and pulled out any black cloths he could find. He actually found a sort of tuxedo. He must have forgotten about it after using it. It was a bit faded, so it didn't look like it was meant for celebrating. He decided to wear it. The tradition for a funeral was to wear formal, black cloths. This would do for now.

Yugi had to get ready in a hurry. His grandfather was going to leave for the cemetery, where they were holding the funeral, at about noon. Right now it was about 11:30am. Still, as quick as he was, he was being a little more sluggish than usual. He heard his grandpa honk the horn, signaling it was time to leave. He grabbed an umbrella and headed out the door. As he went, Yami popped up.

**Aibou..are you alright? **he asked.

_I've been better... _was Yugi's reply.

**If you want, I could take over for awhile.**

_No Yami. Thanks for the offer, but I've gotta do this myself. I've gotta face my fears, and except reality._

Yami was silent. Yugi walked out to the car and hopped in. Though he didn't know it, Joey got in as well. He had woken up just as Yugi shut the door to the house. Now they were on their way.

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There was a loud bang. Joey awoke with a start. He saw Yugi walking away from the house, to a car. He was dressed in a faded black tuxedo, and held a black umbrella. Joey wondered why Yugi was dressed like that. He didn't remember any weddings or anything. And Yugi looked really depressed. What could be happening?

Joey hopped into the car and sat next to Yugi. It was a miracle that Yami didn't sense him. He must have been very deep in thought. Joey watched the surroundings fly past as the car speed off. While the car drove by certain areas, Joey went through memories of the good old days with the gang. Like when he, Yugi, and Tristan were cheering for Tea in a local dance competition...

_"Go Tea!" Yugi cheered. Tea was on stage, and she was dancing her heart out. It was the finals at Domino's local dance competition. "Yeah Tea!" Joey cheered as well. "Come on Tea!" Tristan cheered too. Finally, the music stopped. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan clapped and cheered. A winner was annoced. It was Tea Gardener. The crowd shouted and cheered. Yugi even managed to whistle._

Or the time he and Tristan fought off some street punks who tried to rob them. Yugi and Tea were there too...

_"Alright folks, just hand over all yer money, and no one'll get hurt....much." threaten one of the punks. They advanced on the four. Joey and Tristan stepped in front of Tea and Yugi. "We ain't givin' you nothin' pal!" Joey shouted. "Yeah, so you better get outta here while you can." remarked Tristan. The punks laughed. "Is that a threat?" "Oooh, I'm so scared." they joked. Joey looked back at Yugi and Tea. "You guys get outta here, Tristan and I can handle these morons." he whispered. "But Joey!" Yugi tried to protest. "Just go!" the blonde demanded. Tea dragged Yugi out. "Alright, don't say we didn't warn you." Tristan said. He threw a fist, hitting one guy's jaw. He fell back, and winced in pain. Joey kicked one guy in the stomach. The two continued beating up the thugs, avoiding most attacks. After a while, the group ran away. Joey and Tristan had managed to get off with only a few scratches. They sat down and panted. "Well...that takes care of them..." Tristan said. "Yep...they weren't so tough." Joey added. They got up, and walked off to find Yugi and Tea._

And the time he and Yugi were being chased by that mob of crazy duelists, because they wanted Yugi's god cards...

"_Run Yuge! Joey shouted. "I'm running!" Yugi responded. Yugi and Joey were running for their lives. They were being chased by a mob of duelists who wanted Yugi's Egyptian God Cards. Who didn't these days? Shouts were heard from behind them. They rounded a corner. Only two blocks from Yugi's house. "Keep running Yugi, we're almost there!" Joey urged. "I'm trying!" Yugi said. Yugi's house came into view. They reached the door. Yugi fumbled with the keys. "Hurry Yuge they're gaining on us!" Joey shouted. Yugi finally got the door open. The two ran into the house and shut the door. They locked it and ran to Yugi's room. They slammed the door and pretty much collapsed on the floor. They panted, "Finally..." Yugi said. Joey simply lie there._

Joey chuckled at the memories. Such good times. Good times.

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The car halted. They had stopped in front of the cemetery. Yugi sighed. It was finally time. He opened the door and stepped out. The rain was still falling. He opened his umbrella, and waited for his grandpa to get out. He was wearing an all black tuxedo too. Yugi made his way to the funeral. He saw a crowd of people, gathered around a coffin. Most were sitting in chairs. Sobs could be heard from the distance. Yugi walked over, getting a few looks and catching a few whispers along the way. But the entire time, he just kept his head down. Not wanting to see the sorrowful faces of Joey's friends and family.

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The car stopped and Joey's focus on the outside was broken. He looked at Yugi, who was getting out of the car. Mr. Mutou was exiting as well. Joey got out of the car to see why they stopped. He was surprised to find they were outside a cemetery. Yugi was walking in. Joey followed. Why was Yugi going into the cemetery? Joey obviously wasn't that quick to catch on. He saw that they were coming up on a crowd of people. Yugi wandered in. Joey almost lost him in the crowd of black. If it weren't for that hair of his, he never would have noticed him. Joey went through the crowd. He saw many familiar faces. Tristan, Tea, Serenity, his mom, wait, why were his friends and family here? He looked at the coffin in the middle. He glanced at the name on the side to see just who this guy was. His eyes widened. The name read **Joseph Wheeler**.

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Yugi took a seat. He sat in between Tea and Tristan. Serenity was sitting next to Tristan. On her other side was her and Joey's mother. Others were difficult to see in the crowd. Yugi stared at the wet grass. A preacher called out to the crowd. He asked everyone to take a seat and quiet down. "Family and friends, we are gathered here today to bid farewell to a wonderful young man." he began. Yugi looked around the crowd, and saw the people's faces. There were the obvious guests. Tristan, Tea, Serenity, and Mrs. Wheeler. Then there were some that he hadn't seen in awhile. Mai, Duke, Mako, and other kids from school. Then there were some he never expected to see at Joey's funeral. Such as the Ishtars, Espa Roba and his brothers, and the most surprising of all were the Kaiba brothers!

Yugi started to wonder why he didn't see Joey's dad. Then again, he might have but not recognized him. Come to think of it, he'd never even seen Joey's dad. He made a mental note of asking Mrs. Wheeler about that another time. "And now, I believe a Mr. Yugi Mutou, was going to say a few words for us." said the preacher, looking at the spiky haired boy. Yugi gulped quietly, a little nervous. He stood up and went by the coffin, in front of the crowd. He took a breath and tried to speak.

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Joey stared for a long time. It was his funeral. How could he have forgotten? But if they buried his body, how was he suppose to get it back!? He heard the preacher call out to the crowd. He would have to think about that later. He sat on the wet ground. He was beginning to get board of all the talking the preacher was doing. Suddenly, Yugi's name was called. The boy stood up and was about to speak. He took a deep breath, and began.

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Yugi started. "Well, Joseph Wheeler, or 'Joey' was what I called him, was a-uh, a great guy. I considered him my best friend. He was always there for me, and he was always looking out for me. I-It's easy to say that...he made a great impact in all our lives." Yugi looked around at the crowd. Tea gave a sad, but encouraging smile. Yugi placed a hand on the coffin. "Joey...he was a wonderful guy. He..he didn't deserve this...." Yugi started to tear up. "He, was the best friend I've ever had. He was also a great brother, and the greatest guy I ever met. It's hard to say goodbye to him, after all this time. But, even though he's gone....I know his family and friends will keep his spirit and memory alive....thank you." Yugi whipped away a tear as he finished. The crowd of people clapped, to show it was a job well done. Yugi looked at the coffin one more time, and returned to his seat. His friends gave him soft smiles. They were proud of him.

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Joey stared at Yugi. He was nearly crying. 'dat...was the most beautiful speech I've eva heard..' he thought. Yugi sat back down. Joey looked at him sympathetically. Tea and Tristan were smiling at him. But none of them felt like smiling right now. Yugi didn't move his eyes from the ground after he sat down. It sounded like the preacher was finishing up. "Please rise for the lowering of the coffin." he asked. Joey stood up respectfully. Though he didn't need to, he did anyway.

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Yugi watched the coffin being lowered into the ground. Beads of rain dotted it everywhere. It was like the skies themselves were crying. Yugi lowered his head to the ground. His eyes were shadowed over in sadness. Silent tears streamed down his face. He looked up for a moment to see the diggers piling dirt into the hole. The preacher said a few more words, and then began to leave. Everyone else around him seemed to be going too. Soon only Yugi, his grandpa, Tea, Tristan, and the remaining Wheeler family, or at least the known remaining, were the only one's left. Well, besides Yami and Joey.

Tea walked over to Yugi. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yugi...are you...ok?" she asked. 'What a stupid question. Of course I'm not ok! My best friend died! How the heck would I be ok!?' Yugi thought. "I'm fine Tea..." was his response. "Yugi, I know you and Joey were really close. Is there...anything I can do to make you cheer up?" Tea asked. Yugi didn't respond. Tea sighed and took her hand off his shoulder. "Well, I'd better get going. See you around Yugi." With that, she walked off. Yugi looked over at Tristan, Serenity, and Mrs. Wheeler. He could tell Mrs. Wheeler was trying to hold back her tears. So was Tristan. But Serenity just cried into Tristan's chest. Serenity must have felt worse than anyone. She barely got any time with her brother. At least Yugi got about three years.

Eventually, Tristan, Serenity, and Mrs. Wheeler left. Yugi's grandpa had gone to pull the car up. There was a paved drive area in the cemetary. Yugi stood there in the rain. He stared at the damp earth. Evertything was quiet, until Yami spoke up.

**Yugi....are you.. **he started.

_I've been better... _Yugi replied.

**I'm so sorry you have to go through this. And I'm sorry Joey had to go through what he did.**

_Thanks. I just wish that we could do something more. Avenging him is great and all...but, I just...I just want Joey back._

Yugi and Yami's conversation was interrupted by a honk. Yugi turned to see his grandpa, in the car, signaling that it was time to leave. Yugi nodded. He stuck his hand in his pocket. Slowly, he pulled something out. He walked over to Joey's tombstone and read it in his mind. **Joseph "Joey" Wheeler **

**1986-2004**

**Beloved Son, Brother, and Friend**

Yugi placed the item from his pocket on the ground. He propped it up against the stone. It sat in the rain, resistant because of its plastic protective sleeve. Yugi walked away. He opened the door to the car. He put his foot in, and took one last look at the tombstone. He got in and shut the door. The car drove off. Yugi stared out the window. The reality of the situation suddenly hit him. Joey was gone. Yugi would never see him again. The car exited the cemetery. And no one was left at the gravesite. All that was left, was the object Yugi had left. The rain beat down on it. On Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon card.

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Elsewhere in Domino, trouble was brewing. A man in a dark cloak stood under the shade of a large tree in Domino Park. He was holding something golden. The Millenium Cage. Three other figures came up. "You wanted us Kutana?" asked one voice. It was none other than the group that had murdered Joey Wheeler. There was Kutana, Yutamu, Juro, and Nattero.

"Gentlemen, it's time to discuss our plan to steel the Millenium Puzzle." Kutana said sternly. The group nodded. "So, anybody got any ideas?" asked Juro. "How about a kidnapping? Then ask for the puzzle for a ransom?" suggested Nattero. "No, too risky. Besides, it'll take too long. And we want to make this as quick as possible." said Kutana. "How about we sneak in his house and steal it?" said Juro. "No, that'll never work. Security systems might make for a hassle. And the Pharoh might get in our way." rejected Kutana. "I've got it. We lure that Yugi kid to the park somehow, and jump him. We can take the puzzle, and kill him on the spot. Then we can dump the body in the river or something." said Yutamu. Kutana thought for a minute. "Hm, I suppose it'll do."

"When shall we meet?" asked Nattero. Kutana closed his eyes and thought again. "How about...Friday at 8:30PM? We'll have half an hour to prepare. Plus it'll be dark out." he suggested. The group nodded. Yutamu, Juro, and Nattero walked off, as if nothing had happened. Kutana stood, stroking the cage. It had begun.

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MP: Okay, there it is. I hope it's okay. There'll be more information in the next few chapters. I got a request, in the reviews, to make this story more tragic and surprising. The idea of having Joey take the form of a phoenix or witch came up. I...can't garentee that....but I do promise a surprise ending to chapter 9. So, that being said, continue to read and review!!

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**Preview for Chapter 7**

Aibou... Yami called.

Yugi snapped out of his trance of depression.

Yes Yami? he asked, wiping his eyes.

Now that we know about Kutana, we must find him.

But how? We don't have anything the police could use to track him. And without something like that, I'm afraid they don't have the right technology to find him.

Then we have to find someone with better technology than the police.

But, who has better technology than the authorities?

Yami was silent, but gave Yugi a look. It told him that whoever this was, he wouldn't be too thrilled to ask for their help.

Yugi looked at the pharoh. He tried to think about this for a moment. Finally, it came to him.

Oh no....you don't mean? Him...

Yami called. he asked, wiping his eyes. 


	7. Search for Answers

MP: Hello, I'm baaaack! I'm sorry for taking so long to update the story. But it's back up, and you can read on. For any Kaiba fans reading this story, he'll make his appearence in this chapter, but probably only this one. So don't get too used to him. None the less, the story continues, so read on!

Disclaimer: _I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of it's characters_

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****

Chapter 7

Yugi sat on the bed in his room. He was looking at a picture of Joey and himself after Battle City. Yugi stood there, giving a 'v' sign, with his fingers, for victory. He was smiling brightly that day. And beside him was Joey. His arm around Yugi's shoulder, grinning at the achievement of his friend. Yugi stared at the picture intently. Good memories of the friendship he and Joey had shared went through his mind. Tears hit the photo. The thought that Joey was gone, and was never coming back, was sinking in again. Yugi didn't want to think that way. Although, he knew it was true.

Yami appeared next to him.

Aibou... Yami called.

Yugi snapped out of his trance of depression.

Yes Yami? he asked, wiping his eyes.

Now that we know about Kutana, we must find him.

But how? We don't have anything the police could use to track him. And without something like that, I'm afraid they don't have the right technology to find him.

Then we have to find someone with better technology than the police.

But, who has better technology than the authorities?

Yami was silent, but gave Yugi a look. It told him that whoever this was; he wouldn't be too thrilled to ask for their help.

Yugi looked at the pharoh. He tried to think about this for a moment. Finally, it came to him.

Oh no...you don't mean? Him...

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Joey lay on the couch in the living room. He stared up at the ceiling. He thought about the funeral he had followed Yugi to. His funeral. All his friends were there. All his family too. Well, maybe not his dad, but then again, maybe he was. Joey didn't get much of a chance to see everyone. But he'd seen his mom, Serenity, Tristan, Tea, Duke, Mai, even Kaiba and Mokuba. He'd assumed that Kaiba only came because Mokuba dragged him down there. Either that, or he was going to challenge Yugi to another duel, but didn't get the chance. Joey laughed a little at his own sarcasm.

Joey heard mumbling upstairs. Either Yugi and Yami were very loud talkers, or the floor/ceiling wasn't very thick. Joey was bored. Just sitting on a couch all day wasn't his idea of fun. He walked around the house. Soon, he found himself in the kitchen. Joey wanted so badly to taste food again. But since he was a spirit, he wasn't able to eat. It would freak more than a few people out to see chewed up food floating in the air. Suddenly, Joey bumped into the phone on the wall. He accidentally knocked it to the floor. He instinctively leapt for it. He caught it before it could hit the ground. The blonde sighed in relief. The clank from the phone might have drawn attention downstairs. And Yugi knew that his grandpa was out. It was then that Joey noticed a faint noise coming from the phone. It was ringing.

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Yugi picked up his phone. He dialed a number and waited. The phone rang for a long time. He glanced over at Yami, unsure about this. Yami looked serious. Though he wasn't happy about this, the pharoh knew what needed to be done. Finally, the ringing stopped. There was a female voice on the other end. "Hello, this is Kaiba Corp. How may I help you" it asked. Yugi thought that it must have been a secretary. "Hello. This is Yugi Mutou. I need to speak to Seto Kaiba please." "Just one minute Mr. Mutou." said the secretary. Yugi waited for a while. He was a little uneasy about calling Kaiba. Especially for help. And especially when he was asking Kaiba for help that concerned Joey. The silence was broken by a deep voice. "Hello, Seto Kaiba speaking."

-

Joey put his ear to the phone. There was silence now. He wondered if he had accidentally disconnected the line. Finally, a voice came. "Hello, Seto Kaiba speaking." Joey's eyes widened in surprise. Kaiba? Why was Yugi talking to Kaiba? The teen listened in on the conversation. He just had to find out what on earth Yugi was doing.

-

Yugi sighed in relief. Kaiba had taken his call. "Hi Kaiba. It's Yugi. I wanted to ask you something." He replied. He heard Kaiba groan on the other side of the phone.

"...What is it" Kaiba asked, sounding annoyed.

"I need your help." Yugi said sternly.

"With what"

"It's...about Joey."

"What? Wheeler? No way"

"But Kaiba, I know you are upset about his death! You where at his funeral" Yugi reminded.

"Listen, the only reason I was at that funeral was because Mokuba dragged me down there! I couldn't be happier that the mutt finally rolled over and played dead"

Rage was boiling up inside of Yugi. He couldn't stand the way Kaiba still insulted Joey, even after his death. Joey had done nothing to deserve such disrespect. "KAIBA! Joey didn't do anything to you! Why do you have to keep insulting him" the small teen yelled. Yami looked at Yugi confused. He never saw him this emotional, well, at least not over the telephone.

Kaiba was a bit taken aback. Yugi never yelled at him. At least not like that. "I" he wanted to say something, but Yugi interrupted. "Listen Kaiba, I'll admit that Joey wasn't the nicest guy to you, but you could at least _try_ to show some respect to him! So drop the cocky jerk-off act and listen to what I have to say" Kaiba was silent.

He sighed. "...what do you need from me"

Yugi smiled. He had finally gotten through to Kaiba. It had only taken the death of a close friend to do it. "Ok, I need to use your technology. I have some guys I need to track."

"Fine. You can come over in about an hour...never thought I'd be saying that..." Kaiba murmured the last few words.

Yugi nodded, though he knew Kaiba couldn't see him. "Kaiba...thank you..." he said softly.

"Whatever..." Kaiba muttered. He hung up the phone.

Yugi stood holding the phone. "That's odd." he stated. Yami stood up and walked over to him. **What's odd?** he asked.

There's always a dial tone when the other person hangs up. But there isn't anything. Only silence.

Yami froze. That meant someone else was listening on the phone. But Yugi's grandpa was out at the time. But then, who was on the other line? He heard Yugi's voice, it seemed a little overly concerned.

Yami...you don't think...there's another person on the line, do you?

Yami looked at him. He was silent. Suddenly, he sensed something. He could sense a presence. That presence from before. It was here. In the house somewhere. And Yami had a feeling that _it_ was behind this little telephone mystery. He got a stern look. **Stay here.** he commanded. With that, Yami walked out of the room.

-

"WHAT" Joey yelled. "Kaiba? Why da heck is Yug asking Kaiba for help" It was a good thing that he couldn't be heard. There was a sudden silence. He listened in and heard Yugi's voice. "Yami...you don't think...there's another person on the line, do you" Joey froze for a split second. He heard a reply from Yami. "Stay here." Now, he was in trouble. Joey heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He frantically fumbled with the phone.

Yami was moving closer. "Spirit! Where are you" he called. Joey was in big trouble if he didn't get out of there. He eventually gave up on the phone and let it fall to the floor. Hearing the clank from the phone, Yami came running. Joey stood up as fast as he could and desperately tried to get out of the kitchen. He managed to get up and dashed out just past Yami. Joey made it out of the house, just barely.

-

Yami stopped in the kitchen. He had heard the phone clank from here. But when he looked, he saw not a soul. The phone lay on the tiled floor. Yami could hear Yugi's voice. "Yami, Yami are you there? Is everything ok" he asked. Yami sighed in defeat. He had lost the spirit again. He (somehow) picked up the phone and set it back on the wall. Then he talked to Yugi through the mind link.

Yami, are you there? Yugi asked.

Yes, I'm here. Don't worry, everything's alright. Yami answered.

So what was with the phone? I heard a clank, and then someone hung it up.

I don't know what happened. I think the phone just fell off the wall. Then I hung it up. Everything looks okay from down here.

Okay. Come back up to the room. We have to get ready to go to Kaiba's in an hour.

Yami sighed. **Oh right...we have to go see Mr. Sunshine. Well, we'd better get this over with.**

Yugi giggled at Yami's sarcasm. Yami made his way up the stairs and back to the room, leaving Joey to wait for them to come back when they were ready to leave.

-

It was an hour later. Yugi was in the limo that Kaiba had sent. At least when you went to Kaiba's, you went in style. 'well, this should be interesting.' Yugi thought. He was still uncomfortable getting Kaiba's help. But he knew it's what had to be done. The limo halted in front of KaibaCorp. Yugi got out of the car and walked into the large building. Inside, he met with Seto Kaiba himself. "Hi Kaiba." he said, nervousness in his voice. Kaiba said nothing, and stepped onto an elevator. Yugi looked at him confused. "You coming" Kaiba asked sternly. "Oh, yeah." Yugi joined him in the elevator. The doors closed, and it began to rise.

-

Joey followed Yugi into the building of KaibaCorp. Inside he saw Kaiba. He glared at him, though Kaiba couldn't see him. He and Yugi stepped into an elevator, and Joey joined them. He listened as the two conversed.

"So Yugi, what on earth are you trying to do" Kaiba asked. "Well.." Yugi answered. "Joey was murdered. And, I think I might have some leads as to who killed him." Kaiba glanced at the spiky-haired duelist. "So what do you want from me" he asked coldly. "Well, the police can't find them without some item with fingerprints or something." Yugi said. "So, you want to use my technology to do the seemingly impossible, and find a possible criminal with no hard evidence to help whatsoever" Kaiba asked. Yugi looked at the floor shyly. "Uh...yeah..basically." The young CEO gave a confident smirk. "Alright. I can do that." The elevator stopped, and the three got off. They walked into a dark room, filled with blinking lights and curious sounds. Joey looked around. "Where are we"

-

Yugi was asking the exact same question. "Where are we" "I call it the technology room. I'm not big on fancy, creative names" answered Kaiba. The lights were various computer, and television screens. The noise was downloading, copying, clicking, and several other technological sounds. Kaiba lead Yugi to a large computer. "This...is the best searching computer I have. It's possibly the best in the world. Input any data, and if your criminal has a police record, this computer will give you all access to it. The only problem is that it's not specific. For example, if you enter a hair color, you'll get everyone with a record that has that hair color." Yugi examined the computer. Besides it's size, it looked like any other computer. He wondered if what Kaiba said was true. Then again, the brown-haired boy did seem to have a thing for undermining the laws of technology. "Alright, I have a name and a face. That should be enough." Yugi sat down at a chair and typed on the keyboard. He entered; Kutana.

He was surprised when he only got 13 matches. Apparently, it was a unique name. He tried narrowing it down by choosing; Kutana, green hair. Only one file was left. Yugi opened it with the click of the mouse. It opened up to a screen with a file photo and data, such as age, gender, height, and record. He read the text carefully, hoping to find an answer to this mystery. "Here we go. This is the guy. Kutana Yukazuma."

Yugi summarized what he read out loud. "Looks like he's been in jail three times. Twice for theft, and once for attempted murder. He escaped prison, and is still on the lose. He's been at large for three months." "I'm surprised he wouldn't have left the country by now." Kaiba said, sounding interested. Yugi continued scrolling down the page. "About seven months ago he tried to rob a local museum, but got caught. Four months ago he was caught trying to steal from the same place. But that time he tried to kill one of the museum workers. He was suppose to be in prison for life, but three months ago he escaped." Kaiba looked over the record too. "Looks like there have been a lot of murders and thefts around town linked to this guy." he said. Yugi nodded. "Yeah. I just wish I knew where this he's hiding. He's been avoiding the cops for three whole months now. He sure is persistent."

About an hour of searching later, Yugi decided to go home. After that discovery, he and Kaiba couldn't find much else. Yugi thanked Kaiba for his help. Now he was at home, sitting on his bed. He was going over what little information they had. He had found that the most recent attacks occurred around the park on dark nights. He shuttered a bit at the knowledge that such horrible things were happening in a place he went to so often. Yami spoke up.

So, any luck? he asked.

Well, I found that most of his attacks are near the park at night.

Hm, we could use that to our advantage..

Yeah, but it might be too risky. I mean, this is a killer we're talking about! He could, well, kill me!

Good point. Yami sighed for a moment. **Aibou, I'm starting to lose faith. This seems unsolvable.**

Yami sighed for a moment. 

So did the Millenium Puzzle...

Yami looked at over to Yugi. **What do you mean?**

Well, it took me years to solve the Puzzle. But I never lost faith, and finally, I was able to solve it. And that's how I made friends with you and Joey.

Yami smiled. **You're right. We can't give up hope.**

Yugi was flipping through papers when the doorbell rang. He stopped and hesitated before getting up and going downstairs. "This is odd. We never get visitors this late. And the shop's closed." he said quietly. He reached the bottom and looked around. The doorbell was heard again. He walked to the door, and opened it. He poked his head outside, and saw that there was no one there. "That's even odder." he said. Then he looked down and noticed a small envelope.

He picked it up and ripped open the top. Glancing at the back, he noticed that there was no return address. All it said was To Yugi. He walked back inside and slumped down on the couch. He carefully pulled out the letter and read over it.

Yugi Mutou,

I'm aware that you are in search of information on a murderer. As you probably know, his name is Kutana Yukazuma. He's wanted for several counts of both murder and theft. I'm very sorry for your recent loss. I too have been effected by that scumbag Kutana. If you want more information on him, please meet me in the park at 9:00 PM tonight. It would be a great benefit for everyone in Domino if you could catch this man. Best of luck, and please meet me by the largest tree in the park.

Yugi blinked in confusion. Yami appeared and looked at the note.

What's this? he asked pointing to the letter in Yugi's hand.

It's a letter.

From who?

I don't know. There's no address or name.

Well, what's it say?

It says that someone wants to meet me in the park at 9 o'clock.

What? Why?

The letter says that whoever wrote this has information on Kutana.

Hm...this sounds suspicious. I don't think you should go.

But, what if this person really does have news on him? I mean, it couldn't hurt to at least see, could it?

Actually, yes, it could.

Well, I think we should at least give them a chance.

Yami sighed in defeat. **Fine. But I'm taking over. I don't want you to get hurt.**

Yugi smiled and nodded. _Thanks Yami._

The Millenium Puzzle glowed brightly. Yami took over Yugi's body. The glowing stopped, and Yami looked up at the clock. It was 8:40 PM. It would probably take about 15 to 20 minutes to get to the park on foot. He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door, leaving the note on the coffee table. The door slammed shut, and he was off to the park. He prayed, for Yugi's sake, that this wasn't a trap.

-

MP: Well, there you go. Chapter 7. And I hope you all enjoy the suspense, bwahahaha-ahem- Anyway, thank you for your support. Keep it up, and don't forget to review!

P.S. This preview should keep you guys on edge for a while...

-

****

Preview for Chapter 8

Kutana pulled something out of his coat pocket. He pointed it straight at the side of Yugi's head. Yugi could feel tears flooding down his face. He was trembling, and his heart was racing. Yami was being taken away, Joey's death would be in vain, and he was going to die. All Yugi could do was whimper, and brace himself for death. Kutana smiled in amusement. "Say hello to your little friend for me." He pulled the trigger. A loud shot was heard. And a scream of pain echoed throughout the park.


	8. Kutana's Trap

MP: Hey there readers! Time for the latest installment of the story. Now, this one is where the real action starts. Everything coming down to the climactic scene. Oh, and just so you know. This chapter mostly focuses on Yugi, Yami, and Kutana's gang. There is very little Joey in here, but it's good none-the-less. But hey, you decide. So, without further to do...here's chapter 8...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's characters.

-

** Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 8**_

Yami walked through the cold night streets. He wasn't sure that being out at night was a good idea. But if it would help Yugi and him to avenge Joey's death, he might as well give it a try. The dim light guided him further. He peered into the darkness ahead of him to see if he was any closer. He had probably been walking for about fifteen minutes or so. A near by light shone on a grassy land. A small sign stood, planted in the ground. Yami walked up to it. It read; Domino Park. He was here.

Yami scanned the land behind the sign. It looked peaceful enough. The trees calmly swayed in the gentle breeze. It looked perfectly safe. Yet, he still sensed something. Some sort of darkness coming from deep within the park. Perhaps it was that nameless spirit. Come to think of it, that spirit hadn't bothered him in quite a while.

He decided to go ahead and venture into the park. He glance around, searching for signs of movement. The letter had said to meet its sender by the largest tree in the park. That was in the very middle. It would be a long, anxious, walk.

-

Kutana stood in the middle of the park. He had his arms folded, a stern look on his face. "Are we all set Yutamu?" he asked. Yutamu was leaning against a tree with a smug grin. "Yes. All should go according to plan." Juro was throwing rocks against a small tree. "I'm still not sure about this." he said. "I mean, how do we know the kid will even show?" Nattero hit the back of Juro's head. "You idiot. Haven't you learned, by now, never to question the boss?"

Yutamu looked at his watch. "It's five minutes to nine." he stated. "All right, does everyone know what to do?" Kutana asked. The three nodded. "Good," he said. "Let's get into positions." The four spread out around the area. Juro hid behind a tree, holding a rock. Nattero and Yutamu hid behind two other trees on the opposite side. And Kutana hid behind a tree in the middle. The biggest tree in the park. Footsteps could be heard in the distance. It was time.

-

Yami continued to walk through the park. He looked side to side. Finally, he spotted it. The largest tree in the park. He was finally here. As he searched his surroundings though, he saw no one, but could sense a great power. A dark power. He walked into the clearing around the tree. The sound of a twig snapping made him freeze. Someone else was here. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Yami demanded.

"Well, well. You decided to come. Though you're a bit early." said a voice. "Where are you?" the pharoh called. He looked around, frantically, searching for someone. "Come closer. I must be sure you are Yugi Mutou." said the voice. Yami reluctantly stepped closer. "I'm here. Now show me who you are." he ordered. "Patience. All will be revealed shortly." the voice said calmly. Yami gritted his teeth in frustration. "Listen! I came here for information. Now tell me who you are and what it is you know." he commanded.

The voice sighed. "You certainly are inpatient. Especially for a pharoh who was waiting for 5,000 years to be released from a shiny, golden box." Yami's eyes widened. "What? H-how did you know..." The voice seemed to laugh lightly. "Why, I know everything about you, Yami." Someone stepped out from behind the tree. Yami staggered back. "I-it's you! Kutana!"

Juro stepped out from behind his tree. But he remained unnoticed. His smirked and threw the rock he had as hard as he could. Yami felt a sharp pain shoot through the back of his head. The rock had hit its target. He let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground. He looked up at Kutana through half opened eyes. "So much for the strong pharoh." Kutana mocked. That rock had hit him hard. He might be bleeding slightly. All he could do was emit a soft, angry growl.

_Yami! What happened?_ Yugi shouted worriedly.

**I-it's Kutana...** Yami responded weekly. **He...tricked us**

_What? No! It was a trap?_

**Yes, I'm afraid so** Yami coughed a little.

_Yami, you're hurt! Let me take over_

**No, you can't. I won't let you get hurt**

_I'm taking over Yami!_

**No! Yugi, don't!**

Yami tried to protest against Yugi's actions. But, to no avail. The puzzle glowed, and Yugi took the pharoh's place. He slowly sat up. He cringed and brought his hand to the back of his head. He could feel where the rock had hit. Bringing his hand in front of him, he saw the slowly flowing blood. "Ah. It's little Yugi now." Yugi quickly looked up to see Kutana, with an evil smile on his face. He was standing just above him.

"Hello there, Yugi Mutou." Kutana greeted. Yugi turned serious. "Kutana! I should have known this was a trap!" he almost shouted. "Yes, you should have. But it's too late for that." Kutana said smugly. Yugi's eyes narrowed. "You...you murdered Joey didn't you!" he shouted angrily. "Hmph. You mean that stupid blonde kid? Yeah, I took care of him." Kutana responded, acting as if it were nothing. Yugi's anger rose. Kutana didn't even care that he had taken the life of someone so kind. "Why did you kill him?" Yugi asked. Hot tears were beginning to fall down his face. "Why? He simply heard too much. Your little friend overheard our attack plans, so we had to make sure he didn't rat us out."

Yugi stared at Kutana for a moment. Joey had overheard Kutana's plans? That's why he was killed? Yugi clenched his fists. "You...killed him...just because...he overheard your plans?" He stood up. "You're despicable..." he said softly. Kutana's expression didn't change, but he silently signaled Yutamu and Nattero to come out and take their next positions.

Yugi was still filled with anger. How could someone be so heartless? "How can you act so proud of yourself? Even if Joey did hear your plans, whoever you where planning them on _never_ would have believed him! He couldn't have done anything too you!" Kutana kept his voice low and cold. "Oh yes he could have. That person would have believed him." "And how would you know?" Yugi continued the argument. "Oh Yugi...haven't you figured it out yet?" Kutana asked. "Those attack plans weren't just on anyone. They were on you." Yugi's eyes widened. "Me? But, why me?" he asked stunned. "Simple." said Kutana. "The answer is hanging around your neck."

Yugi glanced down. The Millenium Puzzle was glinting in the moonlight. "M-my Puzzle? But...why would you want this? You couldn't possibly know about the..." "-Millenium items." Kutana finished the boy's sentence. Yugi looked up at him. "But, how do you know?" he asked. Kutana reached inside his coat and pulled out a golden cage with the Millenium eye symbol on it. "Yugi...this is the eighth item. The Millenium Cage."

Yugi stared at the small, barred box. "Eighth? But, there are only seven." he said, his perplexed expression never leaving his face. "Little Yugi...you are so very naive. Haven't you figured out by now that nothing is as it seems with a Millenium item?" Kutana asked. "So...what does that one do?" Yugi asked, almost afraid of the answer. "I've got an idea. How about I give a demonstration?" Kutana said, placing his hand on the eye of the cage.

There was a click. He had unlocked the cage. Kutana opened a small door on the side of the cage. He gave an evil grin. Yugi tensed, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, the puzzle began to glow. "What the? What's going on?" Yugi shouted. The puzzle morphed into a ball of light. It zoomed off of Yugi and right into the cage. Yugi saw Yami's spirit form flung out of the cage. "Yami!" Yugi called out, worriedly. Kutana quickly slammed the cage door shut. The ball of light morphed back into the puzzle, but was now smaller, so it could fit into the cage. Kutana had captured the Millenium Puzzle.

Yugi rushed to Yami's side. _Yami, are you ok?_ he asked. Yami held his head.

**Uh...what happened? **Yami asked.

_I think you got thrown out of the puzzle._

**What? **Yami shot up.** Where's the puzzle?**

Yugi looked to Kutana. He was grinning, an evil glint in his eyes.

**No...** Fear filled Yami's eyes. The puzzle was under Kutana's control.

The evil madman began to laugh triumphantly. "Now the Pharoh's power belongs to me! With this, I will rule the world as the new pharoh!" "No you won't!" Yugi shouted. He stood up, bravely confronting Kutana. "I won't let you! That power belongs to Yami!" Yami stood up as well.

**Aibou, I'm unable to take over, but I'll help you in any way I can.** he said, taking his place next to his light.

"You'll do nothing of the sort Pharoh. As long as I control the puzzle, I control where you go." Kutana said, turning to Yami. Yami looked stunned. "You can see me?" he asked. "Of course." Kutana responded. "I control the puzzle. I see all that is a part of it." "No matter what you see, I'll defend Yugi, as best I can!" Yami said, clenching his fists. "No you won't." Kutana repeated.

"Watch this." Kutana turned to Nattero. He threw the cage to him. Nattero caught it. Yami suddenly started to feel like he was being tugged toward the cage. "W-what's going on?" he yelled. He was pulled toward the cage, and was soon next to Nattero. "Yami!" Yugi shouted. Yami tried to go back to Yugi, but felt himself being held back. "W-why can't I move?"

Kutana chuckled. "Because...you are bound to the puzzle. There's only a certain amount of distance you can travel away from it." Yugi and Yami both developed a look of fear and shock in their faces. Kutana looked Yugi straight in the eye. "So, I suppose I should make sure you don't tell anyone about tonight's little incident." He snapped his fingers. Yutamu and Juro advanced. Yutamu stood in front of Yugi, and Juro behind him. Yugi looked from Yutamu, to Juro, to Yami, and back to Kutana. He was surrounded, and helpless.

"Nattero, get those items to the base." Kutana ordered. Nattero nodded and started to run off, dragging Yami along with him. "YUGI!" Yami tried desperately to fight the force of the puzzle. "YAMI!" Yugi tried to reach out to his dark half. "Yugi! Just hang on! I'll save you!" Yami shouted. Nattero disappeared into the darkness. "Yami! Come back!" Yugi tried to get to him, but was held back by Yutamu and Juro. His eyes filled with tears. Another one of his friends was being taken away from him, and he couldn't do anything about it. "No! Yami!"

Yutamu and Juro pulled Yugi back into the middle of the three. "Alright," spoke Kutana. "Time to meet the same fate as your friend." Yugi's heart began to beat a mile a minute. His face turned pale with fear. Yutamu held his right arm, and Juro his left. He struggled as hard as he could, but it was useless. He couldn't escape. He was going to die.

Kutana pulled something out of his coat pocket. He pointed it straight at the side of Yugi's head. Yugi could feel tears flooding down his face. He was trembling, and his heart was racing. Yami was being taken away, Joey's death would be in vain, and he was going to die. All Yugi could do was whimper, and brace himself for death. Kutana smiled in amusement. "Say hello to your little friend for me." He pulled the trigger. A loud shot was heard. And a scream of pain echoed throughout the park.

-

"Joey...Joey...JOSEPH WHEELER!" "AAAHH!" Joey fell face first onto the floor. "Wha? What happened?" he said, looking around frantically. He saw that he was on the kitchen floor of Yugi's house. "What da? Where am I? And who was dat voice?" he questioned. "Joey! Up here!" called the voice. It was coming from the kitchen table. Joey stood up and discovered that the voice was just Kiko on the monitor.

"Oh, Kiko, what's da matter?" he asked rubbing his eyes. "You fell asleep you idiot!" Kiko scolded. "Eh, so what?" Joey yawned. "So what? So you feel asleep, and Yugi could be in danger!" yelled the angel. Joey glanced at the clock. "Oh come on, what kinda trouble could he get into at 9:17 at night? He's probably asleep by now."

Kiko was fuming. "Look at the monitor you moron!" The image on the screen quickly changed to where Yugi was. He was being surrounded by Kutana, Yutamu, and Juro. Nattero could be seen, running off in the distance. With him was the Millenium Cage, Millenium Puzzle, and Yami. Yugi was shouting out to Yami, tears building up in his eyes. Yami was also shouting, yet seemed to be being pulled away. Joey's eyes widened.

"What? How? Where is he?" Joey was shouting out questions. Kiko appeared on the screen again. "You see what happens when you fall asleep on the kitchen table?" she shouted. "Now get your butt over there and save Yugi!" Kiko demanded. The blonde boy nodded. The monitor went blank. Joey made a mad dash for the door, but stopped suddenly. "Wait a minute...I don't know where he is!" He looked around the room for clues. Spotting a note on the coffee table, he pick it up and read.

Joey's eyes widened in fear. "He walked right into a trap!" He looked at the clock again. It was 9:15PM. It would take at least 15 minutes to get to the park. He was short on time. He dropped the note and ran out the door. He sped to the park, as fast as his legs would carry him. "Please Yugi...be ok!" he prayed. Fear arose again, as a loud gun shot shattered the quiet silence of the darkness. A scream echoed in the night. Joey ran faster than he ever had before, hopping he wouldn't be too late. "Yugi!"

-

MP: Bwahahahaha! More suspense! I just love keeping my readers on the edge. This way, you'll all come and read my next chapter. Oh, by the way, my next chapter is kinda...well, let's just say I think I should change my rating to PG-13. But, the next chapter is the cool yet confusing, Alternate Ending! So keep checking back for updates. RR!

-

**Preview for Chapter 9**

Yugi screamed as he felt the bullet hit. But what was odd, was the fact that it had hit his right shoulder. He opened his eyes to see why. What he witnessed was something entirely unexpected. It was amazing, but at the same time confusing.

Yutamu was in mid air. He was being thrown to the side, head first. It looked like he had been punched in the face, very hard. He fell on the ground, and looked up, spitting out a little blood. "W-what the heck was that?" he shouted, wide eyed. Yugi was also confused. "Hey Yugi..." came a familiar voice. The teen's eyes widened. He slowly moved his eyes infront of him.

He gawked at the image infront of him. It was a person he knew. They had scraggly blonde hair, and honey brown eyes. He wore a blue, boy's Domino High uniform. Much to Yugi's surprised, he also wore the Millenium Puzzle around his neck. The figure stood there, smirking proudly. It was none other than Joey Wheeler. "...what's up pal?"


	9. Alternate Ending

MP: Hello again readers! Thanks for coming back. Ofcourse, if you wanted to find out what happened to Joey and Yugi, you didn't really have a choice. Hehe. Down to our alternate ending. Now, the reason I put up the alternate ending before the REAL ending is because I just thought it would be more exciting. Besides, now you'll have to keep checking back to see what _really_ happens to Yugi, Yami, and Joey. Alright, with that said, enjoy. Oh, P.S., character death in this chapter (not tellin who though).

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of it's characters.

* * *

****

**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

_**Chapter 9**_

"Yugi! Yugi!" Yami was calling out to his lighter half. "Release me immediately!" he demanded, glaring at Nattero. "Jeez, you _are_ a whiney pharoh." Nattero said, rolling his eyes. Yami was being pulled along, still bound to the puzzle. He pushed against the invisible wall that kept him from saving his aibou.

A loud bang was heard. Followed by a shout of pain. Yami's blood ran cold. His heart felt like it had lept into his throat. "No..." he whispered. Nattero stopped. "Ah. It sounds like Kutana finnished off your little midget friend. About time." He smirked contently and started to walk off again. This time, he was slower, knowing that all was taken care of. He didn't care one bit that a death had occured just yards away.

Yami couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He just froze and stared into the darkness behind the two of them. He sank to the ground. Though still being pulled, he didn't resist. There was no reason to struggle anymore. He had no one to save. Yugi was dead.

Yami thought to himself for a moment. 'he..he can't be...no..' His eyes were turning dim. The once ambitious, powerful crimson color, was now dull and lifeless. '..no..Yugi can't be...' Tears started to fall to the cold ground. '..he can't be...'

Yami started to fade. He was disappearing. He didn't know where. He didn't know why. He didn't know how. But he didn't care. He didn't even think about it. All he wanted was to escape this reality. He wanted this all to be a terrible dream. Or more like nightmare. He wanted to wake up, and be greeted by Yugi, Joey, and everyone he cared about. Yami closed his eyes calmly. 'he can't be...gone...' He disappeared, as the Millenium Puzzle glowed, then dimmed.

* * *

Yugi felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. He also felt a warm substance flow down the side of his head. Blood. He opened his eyes slowly. There, standing infront of him, was Kutana. He was cringing, in what seemed like embarrassment. "Juro, you ok?" yelled Yutamu.

Yugi felt the force on his left arm disappear, as Juro broke away. He was clutching his arm, which was covered in blood. "YAH! Kutana! What was that about?" he shouted. He fell on the ground, and was pratically rolling around, crying in pain. "I'm sorry! The kid must have moved at the last second!" Kutana said defensively.

Yugi was standing, still confused as to what had just happened. He brought his hand up to the side of his head. Surely that shot would have killed him. And the blood was right there. But there was no injurey, and no pain. That wasn't his blood, it was Juro's. Kutana must have accidently shot Juro's arm, instead of Yugi's head. But Yugi knew he hadn't moved an inch after that shot was fired. He thanked goodness that this particular evil leader had a very bad aim.

He looked at the panicing Kutana, and the stunned Yutamu. Seeing this as his chance, Yugi ran for it. Luckly, Yutamu's grip had losened, so jerking his arm away was easy. He took off like a racecar. Unfortunatley, Kutana had managed to spot him before he could get out of range. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted. Kutana pulled the trigger again and again. He fired several shots at Yugi, before stopping to see if they hit the target.

Yugi dodged one, then another, then another. He must have jumped away from at least four bullets by now. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his right leg. he cried out and tripped, falling to the ground. He looked back, and saw he was bleeding a few inches away from his knee. Spying Kutana, firing more shots, he quickly pulled himself to his feet. He struggled to run as fast as he was able. If he got caught, or seriously injured, it was all over.

Another pain shot through him. This time in the left arm, mere inches from his shoulder. Yugi clutched the new wound, gritting his teeth, trying to ignore the burning sting. Tears started to build up in his eyes. He was only a few feet from a large bunch of trees. Hopefully, that would provide some protection.

"Get him!" Kutana ordered. Juro staggered to his feet, still holding his arm. It was still bleeding, but was slowing down. He charged for the small boy. Yugi glanced behind him. Seeing Juro on his tail, he sped up. Juro ludged for him, but just barely missed, landing flat on his face.

Yugi sighed in relief. 'at least these guys are clumsy.' he thought. He was about two feet away from the safety of the trees when he heard footsteps behind him again. He turned to see Yutamu, almost inches away. He let out a startled gasp before zooming off.

There was a thud, and Yugi suddenly lost his balance. He soon found himself on the ground. Looking at his foot, he saw that he had tripped over a rock in the ground. Before he could react, Yutamu was right above him. Yugi looked up to see him, an annoyed look on his face. "You're not running away this time.." he said, in a deep voice. Yugi was frozen in fear. For the second time that night, he felt like he was staring death in the face.

He couldn't move from the spot. He knew that he couldn't escape in time anyway. Yutamu pulled a small gun from his jacket. "I'm a better shot then Kutana." he stated. Yugi knew what was coming next. He gulped and shut his eyes tight, bracing for the pain. He wished that Joey was here to save him. If only. "Ok kid...time to die." He pulled the trigger. A loud gunshot was heard.

Yugi screamed as he felt the bullet hit. But what was odd, was the fact that it had hit his right shoulder. He opened his eyes to see why. What he witnessed was something entirely unexpected. It was amazing, but at the same time confusing.

Yutamu was in mid air. He was being thrown to the side, head first. It looked like he had been puched in the face, very hard. He fell on the ground, and looked up, spitting out a little blood. "W-what the heck was that?" he shouted, wide eyed. Yugi was also confused. "Hey Yugi..." came a familiar voice. The boy's eyes widened. He slowly moved his attension to who was infront of him.

He gawked at the image he found. It was a person he knew. They had scraggly blonde hair, and honey brown eyes. He wore a blue, boy's Domino High uniform. Much to Yugi's surprised, he also wore the Millenium Puzzle around his neck. The figure stood there, smirking proudly. It was none other than Joey Wheeler. "...what's up pal?"

* * *

"Gotta find Yugi..gotta find Yugi..." Joey keep repeating himself over and over. He was still running to the park, hoping that he wasn't too late. Finally, he was close enough to see the entrance. But he stopped suddenly, seeing someone run out, holding two golden items. Joey's eyes widened. It was Nattero, one of Kutana's group. He was carrying the Millenium Cage, and in it, a smaller version of the Millenium Puzzle. Joey expected this as a sign of the worst. that Yugi was now dead.

He dashed to Nattero. Knowing he couldn't be seen, he went right up to him and threw and angry punch. Nattero was flung to the ground, in a daze. He was out cold, never knowing what hit him. Joey picked up the cage. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, he finally got it open. He snatched the puzzle out, and tossed the cage on the ground carelessly. "Oh man! Yugi's puzzle! Dis can't be good." he muttered.

Joey was panicing. He had no idea what to do. Suddenly, the puzzle began to glow brightly. The teen dropped the magical object in surprised. "Ah! What the hey?" he shouted. Yami suddenly appeared next to it in spirit form "Yugi! Is that you?" he asked hopefully. "Y-Yami?" he realized. "J-Joey?" Yami shouted back.

"Yami, what are you doin' here? You should be helpin' Yugi out!" Joey said, still surprised. "Me, what about you? You're suppose to be dead!" Yami cried, still stunned. "It's a long story. I'll tell ya later. Right now, I need to know, where is Yugi?" Joey asked worriedly. Yami suddenly realized the situation. "Yugi! Kutana has him! I-I think he might be..." He trailed off, not wanting to finnish. He didn't want to believe it himself. Joey got a worried look. "Yami..that shot, I heard..please, don't tell me it was..." Yami got a sad look. He didn't say anything. He only winced at the thought.

"No...h-he's not! There's no way my buddy is.." Joey didn't finnish. "I won't believe it!" he shouted. Yami looked up at him. "Joey..." He got a determinded look on his face. "You're right. There's still time." he said, confidence in his voice. The blonde smiled, ambition filling his eyes. "Alright! Let's go save Yug."

Yami nodded. Joey began to take off, when the pharoh stopped him. "Wait, Joey. I have an idea." he said. Joey turned around. "Huh? What?" he asked. "You're a spirit. Yugi is unable to see you, and you probably can't do much, can you?" Yami asked. "Uh..well, sortta." Joey responded. Yami smiled. "Well, I have a spell I can use on you. It'll give you a temporary solid body."

"What? A body? That would be awso- hey! Wait a minute, you ain't gonna use me as a test for dis thing are ya?" Joey blurted out. "No, no, Joey." Yami chuckled. "I've tried it many times on myself. It works for about twenty minutes or so." "Alright, I'll try it. But make dis quick ok?" Joey said, sighing. Yami nodded and held out his hand.

It started to glow yellow. Yami closed his eyes and concentrated. Joey's body was suddenly outlined in a light of the same color. "Woah...is dis normal?" Joey asked. He was being raised off the ground. "Calm down Joey. Everything's fine." Yami whispered. Joey's body was now covered in bright light. Yami's eyes shot open. He put his hand down slowly. The light around Joey shattered into bits, and he was lowered to the ground.

For the first time in days, Joey felt his feet touch the grassy floor. He examined himself in amazement. "Woah...it worked.." His entire body was now solid. He felt so alive. Which was kind of ironic. Joey looked up to Yami, who was smiling proudly. He rushed up and tried to give him a big hug. "Man, Yami, your the bes-woah!" Forgetting that Yami was a spirit, he fell flat of his face. "Ouch!"

Yami snickered at Joey. "Heh..oh Joey..it's so good to have you back. And funny too." Joey laughed, blushing at his stupidity. It was kind of good to feel the pain of the ground again. Suddenly, the laughter was broken by the sound of another gunshot. A barrage of shot followed soon after. Varies shouts were heard in the distance. Yami and Joey snapped out of their cheerful moment. "Yugi!" they shouted in unison. Joey snatched up the puzzle, and put it on, around his neck. Now he could bring Yami with him. "Alright, let's go find Yugi." He said. Yami nodded. They rushed to where Yugi was, and arriving just in time.

* * *

"Hey Yugi...what's up pal?" Joey asked. Yugi stared, stunned. "J-J-Joey...i-is that..really you?" he whispered. "The one and only." Joey said, giving him a thumbs up. Before anyone knew what happened, Yugi had tackled Joey. "JOEY! I-I can't believe this! You're ok!" He was shouting with happiness. He had tears joy, flooding out of his eyes. "Woah! Woah! Calm down Yug!" Joey said, attempting to pry Yugi off. Yugi clung on tighter, hugging the air out of his best friend. "Yugi..can't..breathe.." the blonde choked.

Yugi suddenly realized he was suffocating Joey. "Oh, uh sorry." he said, climbing off. Joey sat up and took in a breath. He smiled warmly. "Hi ya Yugi. Long time no see eh?" Yugi was still wide eyed. "Joey...how..how did you..?" Joey sweatdropped. "It's...a long story buddy." Yugi smiled weakly. He once again jumped at Joey and squeezed him tight. "Joey, I don't care how you did it! You're back! You're alive!" Joey hugged Yugi back. "Well...not exactly..but, dis is good enough for me."

"Sorry to interupt...but I have a little something I need to finnish." came a voice. It was Kutana. He was holding his gun, and it was aimed right at the two boys. Joey and Yugi stood up quickly. "Kutana.." Joey growled. He stepped infront of Yugi protectively. Kutana smirked. He looked smug and sure. He had something up his sleeve. But what was it?

A sharp pain flew through the side of Joey's face. Before he knew what happened, he was on the ground. "Joey!" Yugi shouted. Joey sat up, wondering what happened. He looked over, to see Yutamu, standing behind Yugi. He had punched him while he wasn't looking. "Yugi! Look out!" Joey warned. It was too late. Yugi was grabbed from behind, and was now being restrained by Yutamu.

"Yugi!" Joey shouted. Kutana laughed coldly. Joey turned his head to the leader. "Leave him alone! He hasn't done anything ta you!" he yelled. "If I were you, I'de be a little less worried about your friend, and a bit more worried about the pharoh." he proclaimed. Joey blinked in confusion. He looked down at the puzzle. His eyes widened in fear and shock. The puzzle now lay in pieces. He must have fallen on it and broken it.

"No! Yami!" Yugi screamed. Joey removed what was left of the puzzle. "No.." he whispered. "I-I didn't mean ta..." He stopped speaking as soon as another shot was heard. Yugi yelled in pain. Joey snapped his head to where Yugi was. He saw his worst fear. Yugi was staring off into space, still being held. His eyes were wide and dull. His body was limp and lifeless. Blood started to poor out of his chest. "J-Joey...Yami..." he whispered. His voice was barely heard.

A final breath escaped Yugi's mouth. Yutamu released him. His body slumped to the ground in a lifeless heap. Joey's blood ran cold. He could barely breathe now. He trembled in fear. "YUGI!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Yugi didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He was dead. Kutana chuckled and turned the gun toward Joey. Joey jerked his head toward the murderer. "Now then..." Kutana said darkly. "..I don't know how you're alive...but you won't be for much longer. Say good-bye..." He pulled the trigger. Joey felt a sharp pain pierce through his chest. He fell the ground, blood started to pool on the ground.

Joey stared up at the stary night sky. It seemed so calm and peaceful. The pain Joey felt was starting to numb. His eyes were clouding over. He was dying. Again. He couldn't believe it. Only five minutes in his new body, and already, it was dying. What was worse, was that now Yugi was dead.

With Yugi and Yami dead, there was no point in staying on earth. He had failed his mission. Joey's vision got darker and darker. Soon, there was nothing but blackness. He closed his eyes and took in his final breath. He spoke his last words softly, using up the rest of his air. "Yugi...Yami...I'm...sorry..."

* * *

Beeping. There was beeping. It was a constant beeping. It matched a thumping in his chest. His heart beat. Joey slowly opened his eyes. He groaned and sat up. "Uh...what the...where am I?"

He looked around. He was in a white room. All around him were various machines. The beeping came from the heart moniter sitting next to him. "What the?" Multiple wires and bandages covered him. Looking down, he saw that he was in a white hospital bed. A low moaning sound was heard next to him. Sitting there at Joey's side, with his face buried in wet sheets, was Yugi Mutou.

"Y-Yugi!" Joey shouted. Yugi's head shot right up. He stared at Joey. His eyes were wide, and his face was wet with tear stains. "J-Joey!" he shouted back. "Yugi! Your alive?" Joey asked. "I should ask you the same question!" Yugi said, stunned. Joey looked around frantically. "What's goin' on? Where am I?" he asked. Yugi's voice turned calm. "You're in the hospital Joey. You've been in a coma for two weeks now."

Joey's eyes turned wide again as he looked to Yugi again. "What? A coma? How?" he asked. Yugi tried not to tear up as he explained. "A passing police car found you in an alley. You were bloody and unconcience, so they brought you to the hospital. As soon as I heard, I dropped everything and came here." Joey suddenly remembered something. "Yugi! I gotta tell you something! There's this guy named Kutana, and he-" Joey's fast speech was interrupted by Yugi. "Kutana? You mean Kutana Yukazuma?" Joey stopped explaining. "Uh..yeah. How did you-" "He's all over the news." Yugi said, holding up a newspaper that was on the small table next to the bed. "The police found him and his gang a few blocks away from where they found they you. Those guys are in jail right now. I think they're the one's who attacked you."

Joey looked at the newspaper article about Kutana's capture. He leaned back in bed, still not quite sure what was going on. "I can't believe it. That was all a dream?" he said calmly. He closed his eyes and sighed. All of a sudden, he began to giggle. He burst into a crazy fit of laughter. Yugi stared at his friend, wondering if he had an overdose of a drug or something. Was this normal for a coma patient? He inched back a little, only to be pulled into a hug by Joey. "Haha! This is great! I was in a coma! It was all a dream!"

Yugi felt a little weirded out. Maybe that coma had effected his brain somehow. He simply shrugged unknowingly and smiled. Joey was insane, but Yugi just couldn't imagen life without the crazy teen.

**The End **

**(not really, but you get the idea)**

* * *

MP: Ta-da! There's chapter nine! Ok, be honest! None of you saw the whole coma dream plot coming, did ya? Tee hee. I was trying to surprise everyone. I hope it worked. Anyway, this is NOT the last chapter. If you wanna see what REALLY happens, keep checking back! Now, off to work on chapter 10! R&R!

**

* * *

**

Preview for Chapter 10

Joey smiled in victory. "Alright! We did it!" he said proudly. Yugi nodded happily. Joey suddenly felt strange. There was a tingling sensation in his arm. He looked at his arm to see it disappearing. "Gah! What the?" Yugi noticed Joey's body fading. "Joey! What's going on?" he asked, concerned. "Yami's body spell must be wearing off." Joey answered. "What? Body spell? You mean Yami gave you that body?" Yugi asked. "Yeah. I guess my times almost up." Joey sighed. Yugi gasped. "Does this mean you'll be dead again?" Joey nodded. "Yeah. But not for long. I've got it under control." He smiled. A shot suddenly pierced the night sky.

Yugi and Joey turned their heads to see Juro holding a gun. They had forgotten about him. Yugi thought he blacked out of blood loss or something. "There's one bullet left in this gun. Who wants it?" he asked, straining his voice. He was still weak from being shot. Yugi and Joey stood still. Juro smirked evily. "Fine. I'll choose." The trigger was pulled. It fired toward Yugi's head.


	10. It All Ends Here

MP: Hello again! Yes, I know what you're thinking, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? Well, computer complications and editing. Sorry. Anyway, here it is the final installation of Friendship Beyond the Grave! I must say, the fight scene is a bit choppy in my opinion. But, you decide. Oh, by the way, this takes off from where Joey has just appeared infront of Yugi. Since it's the ending, and half of it is the same stuff as before, I decided to shorten it a little. Anyway, here's Chapter 10. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

**Friendship Beyond the Grave**

**_Chapter 10_**

* * *

Joey stood infront of a stunned Yugi. "Hey Yugi...what's up pal?" he said. Yugi stared in awe at the person before him. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape. "J-Joey?" he asked. "The one and only." Joey responded, giving a thumbs up. Yugi practically lunged at his blonde friend. He hug tackled him to the ground.

"Joey! I can't believe it! You're alive!" Yugi shouted happily. "Uh yeah...but...could ya get off me please? It's gettin hard to breathe." Joey asked, practically gasping for air. Yugi blinked and crawled off. "Oh, sorry Joey." he said sweatdropping. Joey sat up and was once again greeted by a big hug from his smaller friend. "Joey, how on earth is this possible?" Yugi questioned. "Uh...it's a long story.." Joey admitted.

"Sorry to break up your reunion, but we have some unfinished business to take care of." Kutana interupted. Joey and Yugi stood up and turned to the evil leader. "Kutana..." Joey growled. He stepped infront of Yugi protectively. "You.." Kutana glared. "I don't know how you're still alive, but I promise, you won't be for much longer." "Is that a threat?" Joey asked arrogantly. Kutana was silent.

"Joey! Look out!" Yugi shouted suddenly. Joey turned his head to the side. He looked just in time to see Yutamu swinging a fist at him. It came with the force of a cannon ball. But Joey caught his fist with ease. Both Yutamu and Yugi's mouths dropped in shock. Joey could never catch something that hard, or fast, before. Joey twisted Yutamu's wrist, causing him to cringe in pain. The entire time, Joey's expression hadn't changed from how he looked at Kutana. "You tried to kill my buddy. I'll get you for that. But it'll have to wait. Go sit down." he said in a serious tone. He easily flung Yutamu to the side. He landed on the ground with a thud.

"No then, where were we?" Joey asked, turning his attension back to Kutana. "Right here." Kutana said, pointing his gun directly at Joey. The blonde just smiled. "You can't shoot me." he said confidently. "Wanna bet?" Kutana said, narrowing his eyes. Joey didn't move. "Go ahead and try it." he said. "Joey! What are you doing?" Yugi shouted from behind him. "Are you trying to get killed?" The blonde stared forward, without a sound.

"Fine. It's your second funeral." Kutana mocked. He pulled the trigger. The gun clicked. Nothing happened. "What?" Kutana questioned. He pulled the trigger again. A click, and nothing. He pulled it several more times. Nothing but clicks. "See? You can't shoot me. 'Cause your out of amo!" Joey laughed. Yugi figured that Kutana must have used up all the bullets, trying to hit him. At least he served some purpose.

Kutana was trembling with anger at the arrogant teen. Joey just laughed under his breath some more. "Your not a very good gangster, are ya Kutana?" Kutana boiled over with rage. "I don't need a gun to kill you! Get over here and fight like a man!" he demanded. Joey stopped laughing. He turned serious, but kept his confident smirk. "Alright. Have it your way then." He removed the Millenium Puzzle from around his neck. "Here Yugi. I believe dis is yours." He turned to him and handed him the ancient item. He smiled warmly, then turned to Kutana again. "Alright Kutana. I'll fight ya. But you gotta promise that you hurt my pal got it?" Joey said sternly. Kutana nodded in agreement.

Joey stepped up. He and Kutana where about three feet away from eachother. "Ready?" he asked. Kutana smiled evily. The two were locked, eye to eye. Both waiting for the other to make the first move. Kutana suddenly threw a fist at Joey. Joey easily avoided it and countered with a punch in his gut. Kutana shrunk down and held his stomach in pain. While he was down, he attempted a sneak attack at Joey's legs. The blonde fighter jumped out of the way and kicked the green haired villan in the side.

"Jeez Kutana. Dis is too easy. How have you been able to keep such a tough reputation? You fight worse than my grandma." Joey mocked. Kutana stood up and growled. "You haven't won yet." He ran at Joey. Joey stepped to the side, avoiding the man. But he had forgotten one thing. He'd forgotten who was behind him.

Joey spun around in time to see Kutana dash to the side. He picked up the gun that Yutamu had dropped. This one still had bullets. The boy froze as Kutana aimed it at Yugi. He smiled and muttered one word. "Die."

The gun fired at Yugi. He was paralyzed in fear. He tried to move his feet, but was unable to. "YUGI!" Joey shouted. He ran to him as fast as he could. But knew that he would be too late. The bullet was mere inches away from Yugi, when the Millenium Puzzle suddenly began to glow. It lifted up higher around Yugi's neck. The bullet drove itself closer. But it bounced off the hard surface of the puzzle. It flew off in another direction.

Before anyone knew what happened, Kutana yelled in pain. The puzzle's glow faded and it dropped back down. Yugi stared in confusion and amazement. Joey stopped running a few feet away from Yugi. They looked at Kutana, who was clutching his leg, screaming as blood flowed out of the bullet wound above his knee. He fell to the ground, helplessly.

Joey and Yugi sighed in relief. "That sure was lucky." Joey said. "I don't think it was luck Joey." Yugi said, looking down at the puzzle.

_Thank you Yami_

**Anytime Aibou**

Joey smiled in victory. "Alright! We did it!" he said proudly. Yugi nodded happily. Joey suddenly felt strange. There was a tingling sensation in his arm. He looked at his arm to see it disappearing. "Gah! What the?" Yugi noticed Joey's body fading. "Joey! What's going on?" he asked, concerned. "Yami's body spell must be wearing off." Joey answered. "What? Body spell? You mean Yami gave you that body?" Yugi asked. "Yeah. I guess my times almost up." Joey sighed. Yugi gasped. "Does this mean you'll be dead again?" Joey nodded. "Yeah. But not for long. I've got it under control." He smiled. A shot suddenly pierced the night sky.

Yugi and Joey turned their heads to see Juro holding a gun. They had forgotten about him. Yugi thought he blacked out of blood loss or something. "There's one bullet left in this gun. Who wants it?" he asked, straining his voice. He was still weak from being shot. Yugi and Joey stood still. Juro smirked evily. "Fine. I'll choose." The trigger was pulled. It fired toward Yugi's head.

Yugi was frozen again. But Joey wasn't. The bullet flew closer. At the last second, Joey leaped infront of him. Instead of being hit in the head, he was hit in the chest. The hot metal dug into Joey's flesh. He screamed in agony as it pierced right through him. Yugi had instinctively ducked, and avoided the now bloody led.

After the danger had passed, Joey stood, stiffly, infront of Yugi. Juro cursed under his breath and fainted. Yugi looked up to see Joey protecting him. But what struck fear in his heart was that he saw a red, bloody hole in Joey's back. And through the blood, tissue, and fabics of clothing, he could see out the other side. It was sickening. Yugi felt as though he might throw up.

Joey fell to his knees and then sank deeper to the ground. He lay on his stomach, blood slowly pooling around him. "JOEY!" Yugi rushed to his side. "Joey! Joey, please say something! Joey!" The small boy shook his friend as hard as he could, but got no response. "Joey, please! Answer me!" he pleaded, tears starting to flood down his face. There was still nothing but silence. "Joey..." Yugi started to tremble. He let his head drop onto Joey's bloody back. His tears washed away some of the red stains in the Domino High uniform.

"...yugi..." someone whispered. The voice was barely heard. Yugi's head sprang up. That was Joey. "Joey?" he said, looking at Joey's face. His usually bright brown eyes were clouded and lifeless. Though his expression didn't change, his mouth moved slowly. "..Yugi...are you..okay?" he asked weakly. "Joey! Don't talk! Save your energy." Yugi said. "Yug, it dosen't matter. My time's up anyway." the blonde mumbled. "What do you mean?" Yugi asked. "My body.." Joey spoke. "It's time is up. It's been too long. Yami's spell is worn out by now." Yugi stared at his dying friend. "But, Joey...you can't go! You can't die!"

Joey coughed a little. "Yugi, It's too late. I'm already dead." The small teens eyes widened in worry and fear. "Please Joey...stay with me. Don't leave again. Please!" he begged. Joey smiled lightly. "Good-bye Yug.." With those final words, Joey's body faded away. He disappeared. Yugi trembled. His eyes where wide. His face was wet with hot tears. "No...please...not again." he whispered. "He can't go..." Yugi fell face first into the grass and cried. "No! Please, come back! Joey!" He cried so loud, that he didn't even noticed the police sirens, flashing lights, and his grandfather's voice.

* * *

Joey opened his eyes. He was in the same dark place he had been in before. He must have died again. How you die when you're already dead was too complicated for him to figure out. He sat up to see the smiling faces of Sumi and Kiko. "Hey Joe, whatta yo know?" Sumi said playfully. "Not to fall asleep on the kitchen table ever again. Dat's for sure." Joey answered. "Well Joey, you're an idiotic bumpkin who nearly got Yugi and Yami killed. But...mission accomplished." Kiko said, smiling. Joey looked up at her. "What? I did it?" he asked. "Yup." said Sumi, "Job well done."

Joey stood up. "But, I died...again...somehow. How am I suppose to get my life back? My freakin' body's burried for goodness sake!" Sumi sighed. "You humans. Always fussing about something." "What? How is dis not an issue?" Joey snapped. "Joey, did we say you'll get your life back?" Kiko asked. "Yeah.." the blonde boy answered. "Then you'll get your life back."

"But how?" Joey asked. Sumi smiled proudly. "Even as we speak, the memories of everyone involved in this incident are being altered. No one will even know you died. Everyone will forget anything that's happened." "Everyone?" Joey asked. "Well," Kiko spoke up. "Yugi, Yami, Tea, Tristan, Serenity, Yugi's Grandpa, and some other important people will remember. But only because they will need to know in order to play an important part in your future." Joey stared blankly. "What part in my future?" he asked. "Sorry Joey, but I can't tell you." Kiko admitted.

"Now Joey, it's time to go back." Sumi said calmly. Joey nodded. He understood. Sumi waved her hand and a portal opened under Joey's feet. Even with all he had been through, he still couldn't help but scream at the sheer drop. He somehow passed through the roof of a house and landed on the bed. Joey couldn't help but be amazed at the angel's habit of breaking the laws of physics. From up in the clouds, Sumi chuckled at the blonde boy. "You think he'll be ready?" Kiko asked. "I think he'll be just fine. And with a friend like Yugi, I just know he'll be okay in the end." Sumi smiled down at the world below. She slowly closed the portal. "But for now, get some rest kid." She was speaking to the boy she just released onto the earth. "See ya later, Joey Wheeler..."

* * *

Yugi sat on the couch sobbing. Yami sat next to him in spirit form. Yugi's grandpa had discovered the note from Kutana on the table. Luckly, he had managed to call the police in time. They had gotten there fast enough to arrest Kutana and his gang. Unfortunately, not fast enough to save Joey.

_Yami...I can't believe it. I finally got him back, and then I lose him again. And what's worse, he died protecting me!_

Yami rubbed his lighter half's back, trying to comfort him. **Aibou...it wasn't your fault. Joey did what he had to do. And he died with pride.**

_What do you mean?_

**Aibou, there is no death more honorable than sacrifycing ones self for another. Especially for a friend.**

Yugi smiled weakly. He felt a little better, knowing that. But he still felt empty a hole in his heart. His best friend was gone for good. He guessed he would just have to get used to the fact that he would never see Joey again.

_I think I'm gonna go up to bed. I was up all night at the park._

**Yes. Good idea.**

Yami went back into the puzzle, and Yugi headed upstairs. He was at his door when he heard something. There was mumbling. "Where am I? Hey wait a sec, is dis-?" Yugi recognized that voice. His eyes widened. He carefully turned the door knob and opened the creeky wooden door. He glanced inside. What he saw made his mouth drop to the floor.

There, sitting on his bed, was none other than Joey Wheeler. In the flesh. He stepped in and shut the door. Joey was looking off somewhere else, but turned to Yugi when the door was shut. He stared and smiled widely. "Hey there Yugi." he greeted. Yugi was stunned. He stared in awe. Just as he had down last night when Joey had first appeared and saved his life. "J-Joey?" he asked softly. Sensing stress on Yugi's mind, Yami appeared out of the puzzle and saw what was going on. He too, froze in astonishment. "J-Joey.."

Joey smiled warmly. "Hey you two." he said happily. Apparently, now he could see spirits. It made sense, since he once was a spirit. Yugi stumbled forward a few times. He didn't believe it. For the second time, the boy had risen from the dead and surprised the spikey haired duelist. A smile grew across Yugi's face. It was so big, that it looked very unnatural. Without warning, he lept on the blonde and hug tackled him with all his might. "JOEY! You're back! Again!" Yugi was bouncing up and down, rolling around on the bed, hugging the air out of Joey. "Hey Yugi! Nice ta see you too!" Joey managed to say. The two wrestled around on the bed and laughed. Yami simply stood in the middle of the room and smiled. "Joey my friend..." he said softly, "...you never cease to amaze me..." And so, the three and the rest of the gang where happily reunited. And they would stay together through everything. They would enjoy their time together, until their next call from destiny...

**_THE END_**

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MP: And so ends the story. I hope you've enjoyed it. Yes, I'm sure your all a little dissapointed it's over. But fear not my readers!For the trilogy lives on! I'm making a sequel to this. Come on, fromwhat Sumi and Kiko said, you had to have seen it coming. This next one will feature such characters as; Tristan, Tea, Serenity, Yugi, Joey, Mokuba, other various characters, and to the delight of you Kaiba fans, more Seto Kaiba. Though, you might not like all of it...you've beenwarned. Anyway, hope to see you all again at the sequel**, Seal of Fears.** Until then, goodbye all!

* * *

**_SPECIAL THANKS TO_**

+ **Melony Mutou **_(for providing helpful editing and previewing)_

**Kazuki Takahashi**_ (for inventing Yu-Gi-Oh! THANK YOU!)_

**To All My Readers** _(of course. For keeping this fic alive!)_


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